At 6 p.m. on Jan. 11, from one of Sturm Hall’s classic tiered lecture halls, music and laughter could be heard ringing out through the usually-silent building. This was no late-night academic lecture, but an event for one of DU’s most vibrant student organizations—the Latine Student Alliance, also known as LSA.
Created as a center and safe space for one of DU’s many underrepresented demographics, LSA aims to not only bring Latine DU students together but also to provide cultural experiences, education and, most importantly, a voice to its members. All of these are things Latine students have found lacking at DU. LSA President and second-year undergraduate student Mike Marquez spoke to the isolation Latine students so often feel on campus.
“We come from communities where people look like us,” Marquez said, “and we’re asked to come here to get our education—to better ourselves for the future—and oftentimes we feel like we don’t belong.”
The atmosphere of the organization’s latest meeting made clear how important belonging is to LSA and its members. However, it is not the alliance’s only focus. LSA seeks to promote education, acceptance and love of Latine culture. Johanna Majano, a third-year student and Vice President of LSA explained how the alliance, and the community it creates, have helped her learn about and love her own culture.
“I come up from a very non-diverse background, one where I didn’t feel comfortable embracing my culture. So, stepping into the light of LSA… it was a lot easier to find my community and be able to embrace a lot of the culture that I wasn’t able to, growing up,” she said.
“There [are] not many Latino/Latina students here on campus,” said second-year student and Intergroup Liason Paola Garcia, “and [LSA] just gives us a sense of community. It also educates other students. We have events that are welcome to all students, to get to know a little bit more about Latin American food, the culture, stuff like that.”
LSA’s elected officers seek to achieve these goals at all weekly meetings and events. This Wednesday’s meeting, however, served an additional purpose. The alliance leadership also announced that Enlace applications are now open for all members.
LSA’s Enlace—meaning “link” or “intertwine”—positions serve to provide both personal and professional development to members. Though not required, they are also highly recommended for DU Latine community members looking to run for officer positions at the start of the Spring Quarter.
Once chosen, Enlaces shadow current members of LSA’s board to learn about the inner workings of event planning for the organization. Later in the year, Enlaces are also able to put on an event of their very own, with full creative control. So, what makes an ideal Enlace candidate?
LSA President Mike Marquez stated that the alliance is looking for “someone who is willing to learn, someone who is willing to take on whatever is needed, someone who shares the same love as LSA for the members who don’t apply to be an Enlace and someone who shares the same vision as the rest of our board.”
Vice President Johanna Majano said her ideal Enlace candidate “would be very flexible to their role. LSA, every year, changes. Every quarter, it changes. So, the environment may change. [They should be] open to adapting and growing as a person.”
The value of DU’s Latine Student Alliance cannot be understated. All people deserve a place to feel welcome, heard and accepted. The Enlace program is one of many ways Latine student leaders can ensure that future community members will continue to have such a space.
Students interested in applying to be an Enlace for LSA can fill out this form by Jan. 20 for a chance to be a part of LSA leadership and event planning. To learn more about LSA and future events, check out the organization’s Instagram, Linktree, and Crimson Connect page.
