The Hispanic-Latino Association hosted its yearly celebration, La Gozadera, Thursday to usher in Hispanic Heritage Month.
The event featured dancing, reggaeton, authentic food, soccer and collaborating club tables. The Caribbean Students’ Association, Los Estudiantes de Alabama sin Fronteras, La Escuelita de Inglés, Queer Student Association and more tabled at the event.
The event intends to provide everyone with an equal opportunity to “immerse and engage with a variety of different cultures and experiences,” said Julia Dominguez, HLA president. For Hispanic and Latino students, she said that the HLA wants to offer “a space of familiarity and familiality” during the challenging experience of navigating college away from family.
The event, held on the Student Center lawn, had Latin music playing and a performance from local Hispanic dance group Las Flores del Sur Folklórico. Latino DJs played hits from genres across Latin America, including bachata, reggaeton and salsa.
Attendees were provided with free food catered by local Tuscaloosa business Antojitos Izcalli. Participants could also learn to dance the salsa or take penalty kicks at the inflatable soccer goal. Tables were also set up so students could play lotería, a traditional Mexican card game.
The organizations tabling at the event offered opportunities for students to engage in related activities around campus. Representatives from Education Abroad programs showcased the Gilman Scholarship and Critical Language Scholarship. Both scholarships offer funds to students in need seeking to study abroad, although the latter is specifically designed for those studying critical languages like Arabic, Chinese and Russian.
Other organizations like the Tuscaloosa Latino Coalition, Virtual Promotoras and La Escuelita de Inglés promoted volunteering opportunities in the local Latino community.
Because of changes from the passage of SB-129, Dominguez said, “We can’t rely on the University for money.” She explained that without the support of University Programs, the HLA was forced to contend with the difficulties of organizing an event on-campus themselves.
“[Running HLA] requires so much out of you,” Dominguez said. “I do it out of love because I love the HLA, and I want to see it succeed.”
Still, Dominguez said she had concerns about the future of the event despite its success this year, that the current pace was unsustainable.
“We’re not going to let the funding changes steal our joy. We want to continue letting people have fun — that’s what we’re here for,” Dominguez said.
Girwan Dhakal, a junior computer science major, attended La Gozadera because of advertising he saw on Instagram. While he enjoyed the food and music, he said the most valuable part of the experience to him was engaging with the tabling organizations by “getting the chance to speak with them and having a good time.”
“[La Gozadera] is a fun evening, a fun social event,” Dhakal said. “It’s one of those reasons you really enjoy college.”
