A dozen students convened in USC’s Pardee Tower’s second-floor lounge for an event in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month on Monday night. The event was hosted by the Resident Assistants for South Residential College. Students gathered together to paint cultural flags, sample Mexican candies and listen to lively music.
The students’ excitement about having access to this culturally-affirming space was evident. For freshman business administration major Lorenzo Flores, being part of a celebration like this felt akin to being part of a family.
Similarly, Dina Santa Cruz, a freshman majoring in neuroscience, emphasized the importance of embracing one’s culture to find a sense of community on campus.
“What brought me out to this event is honestly trying to bond with people in my culture,” Santa Cruz said. “I come from a high school where [mostly] everyone is Hispanic, so it’s been more of a challenge to find people [who] have shared experiences with me.”
These events, alongside being a resident in the PTD Latine living learning community, have helped Santa Cruz find affinity among her peers. Flores, also an LLC resident, is certain the cultural floor was the best place for him.
“I think I made the right decision when I chose to dorm here,” Flores said. “I really was able to connect with these people, and having a familiar face really [acclimated] me to college life.”
Despite the immense positive impact LLCs have had on first-year students in PTD, Gina Murphy, a resident advisor and junior majoring in legal studies, has noticed fewer resources available for those communities.
“There’s been a lot of adjustments,” Murphy said. “We don’t get the $10,000 budget we normally do. We can’t do huge events [ so this celebration] was meant to be a budget-friendly way of appreciating culture.”
Budget cuts aside, the LLC functions differently this year. Due to a lack of applicants for Somorville Place, a Black culture and history LLC, also located in PTD, was combined with the Latine LLC floors. Residents have found this restructuring to be a welcome surprise.
“It’s just been amazing, not only do I feel in touch with my Somorville students as a black person myself, but also [get] to explore the culture of the Latino students that are here,” said RA Simeon Waller, a junior majoring in cinematic arts, film and television production.
Waller and Murphy, who are the only LLC RAs in PTD and the organizers of Tuesday’s event, agreed that these cultural spaces are vital for students of varying backgrounds.
“It can be intimidating when you don’t see people who look like you or have a similar identity [in] prestigious schools like this,” Murphy said. “I wanted to make sure that [the students are] still recognizing where they’re from and taking pride in it.”