Club Highlight | Chapman Latinx
Chapman Latinx President Silvia Miranda (left), Events Coordinator Audrey Garcia (center) and Treasurer Diego De León (right) had a booth at the university’s Involvement Fair on Sept. 6. Photo courtesy of Ernest Govea
Chapman Latinx is all about creating family. Whether members are bringing in pictures of loved ones in honor of Dia de los Muertos or simply immersing in each other’s company, president Silvia Miranda hopes to create a close atmosphere for all attending members.
While Chapman brought the individuals of the club together, a highlight for Miranda has been being able to get out of the Orange area and explore.
“It’s just been really fun to have outings,” said Miranda, a senior broadcast journalism and documentary major. “We went to Placita Olvera, which is in (Los Angeles) last year, and we just hung out, we walked around and we got dinner together. It’s just a really great community to kind of have both on campus and off campus.”
This week, The Panther sat down with the Chapman Latinx club in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month to discuss their club events, what they offer the university community and their plans for September.
Founded in 2017, the Chapman Latinx club serves to provide a sense of community to students of Latinx and Hispanic heritage. An average meeting may include social activities and games, discussions of club announcements and occasional faculty speaker appearances highlighting academic opportunities. This semester, the club meets Mondays at 7:30 p.m.
“It’s a social club, but we also definitely try to uplift each other and provide each other with resources,” Miranda said.
Some of the club’s plans for the rest of the month include a meeting with Hispanic/Latinx faculty on Sept. 27, a Flag Field Day involving outdoor sports and recreation on Sept. 28, a Rainbow Fiesta event, which is to be hosted by the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), on Oct. 2 and a closing event highlighting Dia de la Raza — a collaboration with the Office of DEI — on Oct. 12.
Miranda, who joined the club during her freshman year, discussed its ability to create this aforementioned sense of community.
“Three weeks into the semester…we split club members off into these things we call ‘familias,’ which is ‘family’ in English, and we kind of get to really know each other through that specific group of people throughout the school year,” Miranda told The Panther.
Alesia Orta, a senior double majoring in screenwriting and communication studies, also mentioned the club’s offering of community to its members.
“My biggest takeaway is that there’s always a community to support you in any way you need,” Orta said. “It’s nice to know that even when things get hectic and crazy, and you’re not able to attend meetings or events, everyone still welcomes you.”
““My biggest takeaway is that there’s always a community to support you in any way you need. It’s nice to know that even when things get hectic and crazy, and you’re not able to attend meetings or events, everyone still welcomes you.””
When asked what the Chapman Latinx club offers to the Chapman community, Miranda took a moment to think before answering.
“It’s a lot of visibility, I think,” Miranda said. “We promote diversity and inclusion on campus, but I think it just goes even deeper than that, because we really do provide a sense of safe space for Latinx students, and I think that it’s impactful and meaningful and intentional on our behalf.”
Students interested in joining the Chapman Latinx club can follow the club’s Instagram page, which includes a link to the club’s Notion webpage. Additionally, students can email culatinx@gmail.com and ask to be added to the club’s newsletter.