For over 30 years, the Latine Student Alliance (LSA) at the University of Denver has provided students with a safe space to connect with their culture and come together as one. For decades, LSA has partnered with other affinity groups to celebrate the diversity that animates DU’s campus. 

This year, second-year student Eric Alfaro, a real estate and built environment major from Aurora, Colorado, is president of the organization and second-year Matthew Valdez, a physiology in health and disease major from Southern California, is vice president. Together, the two have big goals for LSA.

As a collective, LSA will continue to host weekly programming for the Latine community to give students the support they need to excel academically, professionally and emotionally. Alfaro and Valdez are actively seeking volunteer opportunities to extend LSA’s outreach off-campus. 

Later this year, LSA will begin workshops at low-income high schools to provide juniors and seniors with the resources to successfully apply to college and the tools they need to succeed. These students will be future LSA members and leaders on campuses across the nation, and DU’s LSA is determined to show them that si se puede.

“This workshop will teach them about different pillars in college, some that a lot of us didn’t know before or believed were not the most important before starting college. We are talking about safety, work-life balance, self-care and financial aid. A lot of the time those kids think that college is not possible, and we want to let them know that it is possible,” Alfaro said. 

Like many affinity groups, LSA es una familia. The organization offers its members the chance to branch out and explore a variety of different cultures that make up the Latine community. The organization is not Latine exclusive, and the door is open to anyone who wishes to learn about the beauty of the Latine culture. Partnering with other affinity groups on campus has always been a long-standing tradition for LSA, promoting unity amongst all cultures. 

“We cannot all be united if we seclude ourselves even further. The biggest target here is to live as one and not necessarily pointing out our differences,” said Alfaro.

For LSA to succeed, the e-board faces the challenge of continuing to inspire new students to take on leadership positions and continue the mission for years to come. The Enlace Event is what inspired the current president and vice president of LSA to take on their leadership roles. Enlace offers members who are interested in holding e-board positions the chance to shadow current e-board members. 

Melany Villena, a first-year business analytics major born in Mexico and raised in Aurora, attended her first LSA event on Wednesday and shared her thoughts on what attracted her to the organization. 

“They are very inclusive in a community like DU that is a PWI. I am excited about all the support and resources they will provide me with,” Villena said. 

Valdez recounted his first year at DU and the struggles he encountered. “I personally cannot imagine there not being an LSA… I know I would feel lost. Speaking for myself, last year I felt out of touch with my culture, [but] I knew I could go to an LSA event and reconnect.” 

LSA is the place for one to re-educate, refamiliarize and reconnect with their culture. The best way to do that? With food. Authentic food that represents the Latine community. For the most part, LSA tries to host events that highlight different cultures and countries that make up Latin America. 

“There’s no better way to understand a culture than through your stomach,” Valdez said. 

Familia, unity, inclusivity, support and cultural awareness are the foundation of LSA. The Latine Student Alliance plays a vital role in the DU experience for its members and the place it offers for everyone to come together is what keeps members coming back. 

“As a commuter, I spend a lot of time on campus. This is basically my home for three-quarters of the year, so I don’t want to completely be stranded away from my culture at all times. Having [the] Latine Student Alliance is like having a home on campus,” shared Alfaro. 

To learn more about LSA, check out their Crimson Connect and follow their Instagram. The Latine Student Alliance currently meets every Wednesday from 5 – 6 p.m.