Spanish students host fiesta for Cinco de Mayo

This past Friday, students in Spanish classes I and II presented cultural projects to celebrate Spanish-speaking cultures on Cinco de Mayo.

Cooking show videos, performances of songs in Spanish and even artistic reinterpretations were part of the afternoon event.

Joshua Koroma, an international student from Mexico, was the host for the event and dressed up in a traditional Mexican outfit called Charro. 

Even though learning how to sing a song in another language can be a challenge, several students put themselves out there and performed songs in Spanish. Olivia Heller, junior, shared, “The process of learning and choosing a song in a different language was a little more challenging than I had expected, but it was really fun to see the cultural differences in music too. I'm not used to singing in another language, but it was definitely a fun project that pushed me out of my comfort zone.”

Isabella Alberto, a student from the Dominican Republic, presented to the audience what Bachata is, a dance that originated in the Dominican Republic, with another student, Dwayne Rey. Alberto mentioned, “Before my part I was super anxious, but it turned out well. I thank Dwayne for being patient with me while we practiced and the effort he put into understanding what the steps were. I had a lot of fun practicing.”

Alberto further commented, “You don't always get the opportunity to represent your country, your culture, so that was quite nice.” 

For the ones that chose to make a how-to cooking video, they picked a recipe, recorded themselves cooking and narrated the process in Spanish. After the presentations, the audience had the opportunity to sample the dishes the students had cooked.

Sujamis Colmenares Frank, junior and part of the audience shared, “I thought it was all very nice because as a Mexican, the fact that they brought some of my culture to the school, made me feel very special. And the food I saw people making and sampled made me remember my mom’s cooking.” 

A reception took place in the Hankins Hall tower which was decorated by the students using papel picado strings they made themselves. While students sampled the food, they could also admire the artistic creations on display and further enjoy the experience this fiesta offered. 

Ana Segawa, Student News Team