Hispanic Heritage Month

2026 Hispanic Heritage Month Activities

Members of the Students of Color Affinity (SOCA) organized a fiesta of fun activities to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM) on September 30 outside during lunch periods. The celebration included:

Heritage Map - Each student was invited to place a pin on the world map to create a visual representation of the many backgrounds represented in our community.
Guess the Hispanic Flag
Games: Dominoes, Loteria
- Dominoes- a popular game in the Caribbean and beyond. SOCA Leaders taught students how to play.
Craft: Bracelet Making - Students gathered to make thread bracelets, recognizing the craftmanship and textile traditions in Indigenous communities, such as the Mayan communities in Guatemala.
Four Seasons also featured a Hispanic dish on their menu

Each cultural activity included a brief summary of its origin and importance to Hispanic Heritage.

"Sharing cultures with the Mount community is special to me because it allows me to help others feel seen, included, and connected," said Kaylee Alexander '28. Through SOCA, I’ve loved helping create events like our HHM Kickoff, where we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month through fun crafts, games, and activities. It’s meaningful to me because culture is not just something we learn about. It’s something we can share, celebrate, and bring to life together."

“Planning activities for Hispanic Heritage Month is special to me because it gives the Mount community an opportunity to come together and embrace our different cultures and learn from one another," added Kylie Alexander '28. "Through SOCA, I am able being able to help create a space where everyone can celebrate who they are, share their traditions, and build meaningful relationships with others. Hispanic Heritage Month reminds us that our different backgrounds are something to celebrate, and that sharing our cultures can help make our community stronger and more connected.”

Congratulations to winners of the Hispanic Heritage Month Flag Competition: Francesca Munoz '30 and Elisabeth Quiroz '30.

Dr. Joseph Bonk, English Department Chairperson, reported, "In my American Literature and World Literature classes, students studied Pat Mora's 1986 poem entitled Immigrants which explores the intense pressure immigrant families can face to assimilate their children into American culture while simultaneously holding onto their own heritage."

"Students discussed if these pressures have changed in the 20 years since the piece was written, and how language - which early linguistics argued was the only medium through which people can develop their psyches and, ultimately, identities - can be seen as a 'linguistic colonizer' when people are forced to replace their native language with a more hegemonic one. In this brief poem, she utilizes precise diction, reliance on audience awareness of stereotypes, and code-switching," said Dr. Bonk.

Mora, an American poet with Mexican roots, grew up in a mostly Spanish-speaking home in the Great American Southwest. She is a leader in contemporary Hispanic literature and poetry.