Ceremony honors latino/a graduates

Dressed elegantly in suits and gowns, nearly 100 members of the University latino/a community gathered in the League Ballroom on Friday night for the 9th annual Latino Leadership Award and Graduation Ceremony, sponsored by the Latino/a Task Force.

Students were honored for outstanding academic achievement, leadership and community service during the evening, which opened with a mariachi band and concluded with salsa dancing late into the night.

LSA senior Lori Nicholson, one of the 35 graduates who was recognized, said it is always critical to celebrate one's leaders.

"If you don't honor your leaders, none are re-born," Nicholson said. "It's an important part of our culture - honoring those who came before and those who'll come after."

Public Health graduate student Maria Lopez spoke to the crowd and addressed the graduating seniors.

"It is your fresh sprits and young minds that will shape the lives of other latinos," Lopez said. "You are the leaders for those who follow you. Do not forget the younger or the older generation - muchas felicidades to all the graduates."

To open the ceremony, a slideshow illustrated the programming achievements of the year that included bringing the Cuban "Queen of Salsa" Celia Cruz, Paco de Lucia and his flamenco orchestra and the chicano musicologist Jesus "Chuy" Negrete to campus.

Katalina Berdy said she began the leadership awards in 1989 when she became the latino/a coordinator for the Office of Multicultural and Ethnic Student Affairs.

"As the latina coordinator, I needed to work closely with the different student groups," Berdy said. "As I was helping them program events, I felt it was important to recognize their contributions."

Since the first ceremony, the awards have expanded to include more than 10 categories. This year there were more than 100 nominations made by the community, Berdy said.

Janet Padilla, who was named Latina of the Year, said the celebration was a way to unite the latino/a community.

"I think tonight is very important because it's a way of getting together and sharing all the accomplishments everyone has made," said Padilla, an LSA first-year student.

The evening was also a way to include less active members of the community, she said.

LSA first-year student Andrea Chapa, whose family comes from Mexico, said she attended the event because she was interested in seeing what the latino/a community had to offer.

"I thought I would come and see what it's about," Chapa said.

Engineering senior Samuel Lopez de Victoria said the awards renew hope for the future of latino/as in the United States.

"A lot of the students are graduating and we're celebrating that there are more latinos entering the workforce - and we're hoping that they'll give back to the community," said Lopez de Victoria, who serves as president of the Puerto Rican Association.

04-20-98