By Olivia Turner | Arts & Life Editor
Family, food and dancing — three cornerstones of Hispanic culture — will fill Fountain Mall from 6-9 p.m. Friday for the Hispanic Student Association’s (HSA) annual campus-wide event, Fiesta. As far as HSA president and Fort Worth senior Daniela Lopez is concerned, this is the first time in the group’s history that the event will be held during the fall semester.
Lopez said the Baylor Activities Council (BAC) approached her with the idea to hold Fiesta during Hispanic Heritage Month in the fall semester, almost immediately following their Fiesta celebration in April. She said this was likely due to last semester’s event drawing the best attendance the group had seen in years. Lopez said as of now, it is undecided whether the fall semester Fiesta will become a trend for future school years.
“It just depends on what this one looks like,” Lopez said. “We could very well do it in the fall from now on. Or who knows? If it goes well, we could find a way to do it twice a year.”
After two-and-a-half months of planning and preparing for their second Fiesta in a row, Driftwood senior Alexandra Lagunas, the vice president of HSA, said the group is pumped and ready for the event. She said she is also grateful for the opportunity to host the event once more.
“We literally pour our hearts and souls out into Fiesta,” Lagunas said. “Just getting to see it all come to life, it’s like, ‘Dang, like we did that!’”
Lagunas said Fiesta is a defining event for the Hispanic Student Association, since it is their most popular event for attendance every year.
To stay true to the celebration Baylor knows and loves, Lopez said food, activities and entertainment will stay mostly the same as previous years. Several local vendors will return, such as Sison Tacos, Helados La Azteca and Teresitas Birria. Activities will also remain generally the same, offering Latin dance lessons, a mariachi band and a DJ, she said.
“It was such a success last time that you know that formula just worked really well for us,” Lopez said. “But this time, because we have much more favorable weather, we can actually do things on a larger scale, giving people more room to interact and a bigger dance floor.”
This year will also feature some new additions to the mix. Ohana Ice will sell desserts, shaved ice and Salvadorian pupusas — a choice that is especially meaningful to Lopez, who is of El Salvadorian descent.
“The vendors are so gracious, and they offered to come for free,” Lopez said.
That being said, the Hispanic Student Association will be covering the cost of the first few food items ordered by Fiesta attendees, Lopez said.
“That way, the vendors are ensured that they get at least some profit from the event, and also the first few guests who arrive are able to … get a free food item from the truck of their choosing,” she said.
Dallas senior Berkley Ponce, the treasurer of HSA, said she is most excited for attendees to try the food from the trucks and vendors.
“For Hispanics and Latinos, food is a huge part of our culture,” Ponce said. “I feel like it’s also a very easy one for people to appreciate.
As the President of Baylor’s Latin Dance Society, Ponce said she is also thrilled to be able to teach attendees dances such as cumbia and bachata.
Another addition to this year’s Fiesta will be a Spanish table from the Department of Modern Languages & Cultures to showcase how Baylor celebrates Hispanic culture year-round, Lopez said.
Following Lopez’s graduation in December, she said Ponce will be taking over for her as President of HSA.
“She’s been super proactive in a lot of the things, like dealing with the vendors, planning the budget, things like that,” Lopez said.
Looking to the future, Ponce said once she becomes president, she is most excited to be able to give fellow Hispanic students the warm welcome she received upon joining HSA.
“I can’t even begin to describe everything that HSA has done for me,” Ponce said. “HSA was the way that I got to build my community here, and to feel like Waco and like Baylor is home. So I’m very excited to be that person that can help foster that for our new members, and we already have some really great new faces in the organization this semester.
In regard to Fiesta, Lopez said the event is open to the Baylor and Waco communities, Hispanic or not.
“Actually, we do this with the intent of educating the public and getting the word out of exactly what Hispanic people stand for, which is family values, togetherness and just being able to sit with your neighbor and share a meal and spend some time together,” Lopez said. “So even if you’re not Hispanic, but you’re interested in any of those things, please come out.”
