Emily Lang

September 15 through October 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month, and for Penn State Abington, it will also be a month full of events, starting with “The Walk of Immigrants,” presented by Saul Flores, a Mexican-Salvadorian Keynote speaker who has presented at programs such as TED and NPR. 

This event, on September 15th, from 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM in Lubert Commons, is a retelling of Flores’ journey walking from Equador to North Carolina, following the grueling footsteps of Latin American immigrants.

“I feel like it’s just such an impactful story that it would be a good idea for students to be exposed to his magnificent storytelling,” explains Daniel Garcia Calao, president of the Latine Student Organization, which is hosting the event.  

Originally an international student from Colombia, Calao connected with LSO and their executive board in his first year, which led to joining the organization as an event coordinator, then president. Wanting to do more events, he met with Olga Moskaleva, Regional Global Engagement Coordinator from Global Programs, which is co-hosting the event. Moskaleva referred Calao to Saul Flores. Calao started planning this event in spring semester last year, and connected with Flores’ team over the summer.  

As Flores’ visit approaches, Calao hopes students focus on Flores’ storytelling. “The way [Flores] talks about his journey to come here to the United States, I think that’s the most important thing about the event. And just also to better educate the people and the students here at Abington on my culture, on the people from my culture.” 

Other events Calao has planned for Hispanic Heritage Month include: a Latino Hangout at the IM Field with cultural games, food, and music, a trip to Benjamin Franklin Parkway to experience the Puerto Rican Day Parade, and a collaboration with Dance Fit learning the salsa. In addition, LSO has been working with the Metz kitchen to prepare authentic Hispanic dishes to distribute throughout September, to “diversify the food on campus and just implement … not only events, but also implement more folk culture here on campus. I feel that at the end of the day, teaching our students all our culture is beyond just events.” 

Calao added, “I would just encourage all students to attend even if they’re not Hispanic, because I’ve heard there’s a lot of students who have said, like ‘Oh, I’m not Hispanic’– we welcome everyone. Even if you’re from another background, we would like to know more, learn more about your culture and we would teach you about our culture. Sometimes [there’s] a lot of our similarities, so it’s really fun to get to know them.”

The “Walk of Immigrants” with Saul Flores will be streamed through Zoom for students from all Penn State campuses, and following that, the recording will also be available to watch for 30 days.