WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.
Sophomore Elizabeth Gutierrez sometimes felt out of place at Purdue University. That was before she became active in its Latino Cultural Center and the school hired its first Hispanic president, France Cordova.
“It helps us look forward to the future and know that we can make it,” says Gutierrez, a Mexican American and the first person in her family to attend college.
Gutierrez and a few hundred other students attended the Latino center’s open house Friday, where Cordova met with students and encouraged them to continue embracing their diversity.
The open house allowed the center and about 15 other Latino-based organizations to show students what they offer.
The event also served as a prelude for National Hispanic Heritage Month, which began Saturday. A number of conferences and other activities celebrating cultural diversity are planned for the coming weeks.
“I think it’s really wonderful that our students decided (the Latino center) is part of being successful,” Cordova says. “This is their creation, and I congratulate them for it.”
