Ferris State University is hosting events in recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month,
beginning in late-September.
Collaborative efforts featuring multiple Ferris State University offices promote experiential learning opportunities during the 2022 Hispanic Heritage Month schedule on the Big Rapids campus.
Darnell Lewis, assistant director of the Office of Multicultural Student Services, said the first event brings an alumnus to campus on Tuesday, Sept. 20, Felipe Lopez-Sustaita. The author of “You Can’t Run From Your Diversity: Lessons From A Migrant Worker,” Lopez-Sustaita will talk from 6 to 8 p.m. in Room 120 of the Interdisciplinary Resources Center.
“We are pleased to have the opportunity to hear from Dr. Lopez-Sustaita, thanks to the efforts of the Spanish program and the Hispanic/Latino Cultural Center,” Lewis said. “He is a graduate of Ferris’ second Doctorate in Community College Leadership cohort, in 2014, and this should be a provocative session for all who hope to join us.”
Highlighting Wednesday, Sept. 28, is a Career and Professional Services office presentation. Career Readiness and Employer Liaison Michele Albright will take part in “Cafecito and Carreras (Coffee and Careers)” from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Hispanic/Latino Cultural Center office in IRC Room 130.
Following that event will be a panel discussion and networking event with Latinx health care professionals from 4 to 6 p.m. in Room 328 of the Victor F. Spathelf Center.
Also that day, the Hispanic Student Organization will present “Immigrant Narratives” from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Hispanic/Latino Cultural Center office.
An active week concludes on Friday, Sept. 30, as a Salsa Fiesta dance night takes place in the David L. Eisler Center ballrooms from 7 to 10 p.m.
“There will be lessons available as we begin for dancing salsa, merengue, bachata and cumbia,” Lewis said. “After that, the ballroom is our nightclub and everyone is welcome to dance and enjoy with us.”
A 10th anniversary event for the Hispanic/Latino Cultural Center concludes the schedule on Friday, Oct. 14, including a reception and dinner from 5 to 8 p.m., in the David L. Eisler Center ballroom. The event is a fundraiser supporting the endowment of a scholarship for students from migrant families, a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) background, or those who identify as Hispanic or Latino. Dance from 8 to 11 p.m. follows in that same location, free and open to the public.
Hispanic Heritage Month was an expansion by President Ronald Reagan of the Hispanic Heritage Week established in 1968 by President Lyndon Johnson and enacted into law in 1988. To learn more about Ferris’ schedule of events, contact the Office of Multicultural Student Services by email.