Hispanic Heritage Month has officially started and the student organization Hispanos Unidos (HU) is excited to celebrate with the campus. HU is a student-led organization for Hispanic and Latino students that hosts weekly chapels and campus-wide events for all to enjoy. President Ana Lara, junior nursing major from Merkel, said the goal of HU is to create a safe place for everyone.

“Hispanos Unidos is an organization whose mission is to foster a greater understanding and appreciation within the ACU community,” Lara said. “While encouraging inclusion, we seek to honor and glorify God. We work to represent the Hispanic community, but we want everyone, no matter your background, to feel welcome at our events and chapels.” 

Hispanic Heritage Month is a time to celebrate Hispanic cultures, backgrounds, achievements and history in the United States. This month of recognition connects with ACU students and faculty as it gives them an opportunity to appreciate their Hispanic roots, who they are and where they come from. 

Vice President Leslie Mejia, Mexico native from Dallas, is a junior nursing major who said this month is a chance to recognize diversity and carry on their ancestors.

“What makes Hispanic Heritage Month important is how there’s so much background behind it and it represents how far the Hispanic community has come,” Mejia said. “The achievements people made in the past have had so much positive influence on our society.”

HU has several events planned for the month with a few of their upcoming events consisting of Entra a la Plaza on Friday and their sunset devotional on Oct. 9. The officers of HU encourage everyone to come and share what they enjoyed or didn’t, so they can always improve and continue to put on events for everyone. 

“Everyone is welcome,” Mejia said. “We love everyone so much and can’t wait to build bonds with every single person. It’s also so important for us to come together and create a loving relationship with God, to encourage each other each day to be Christ-like.”