CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — September 14 is the start of Hispanic Heritage month and Texas A&M Corpus Christi is making sure the celebration doesn't go unnoticed.
COVID-19 has put a damper on most things in 2020, but it hasn't crushed the Hispanic Heritage spirit at the Island University. The university have a month filled with events they'll just look different this year.
"We obviously want to celebrate Hispanic Heritage month, but we also don't want to put people at risk,” said coordinator of this year’s festivities, Andrea Montalvo-Hamid.
“The majority of the events are going to be live streamed either via Zoom or Instagram live or WebEx.”
Hamid says they have a wide array of events to choose from.
“A loteria game for the students, we have alebrije so they can pick up at kit and color an alebrije page and submit it for a contest,” said Hamid. “Our library runs a social media quiz all month, so they have trivia questions."
Other events are scheduled including a live cooking demonstration and other speakers.
Joseph Monroy is a student at the university and is a member of the Islander Cultural Alliance.
Monroy says the celebration the university puts on helped him appreciate his own upbringing.
“I wasn't really outspoken about my heritage until I got to Texas A&M Corpus Christi where I saw all these events like Hispanic heritage month, la loteria, la alebrije, con ica, where I really started to feel proud about my background and my heritage and my blood,” said Monroy.
Monroy says you don't have to be Hispanic to partake in the fun this month.
“We want to show you what we have to offer, and we want you to learn from it,” said Monroy. “So please do not feel like it is not your place. This is all encompassing. This is open to everybody no matter who you are.">