Honoring Latin Voices and Culture at Gonzaga

The Gonzaga community is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with an exhibit called Distrito de Cultura that highlights the voices, traditions, and contributions of Latin American communities in the Washington region. Curated by leaders of the Latin American Student Organization (LASO) in collaboration with moderators and library staff, the exhibit explores immigration, culture, and heritage while celebrating the beauty and joy of local Latin communities.

"I’m part of LASO because I love the community that it offers," said Alex Ramirez-Gonzalez ’26, who is the LASO Service Chair and of Mexican descent. "Getting to learn about each others’ diverse backgrounds is such a cool thing to be a part of."

Alesso Rozo ’27 shares Colombian and Bolivian ancestry. "What I hope people get from the Hispanic Heritage Month exhibit is the realization that Hispanic culture isn’t just one or two or three countries, it’s many different backgrounds from many different places."

Teddy Fritz ‘26 said one of the reasons he joined LASO was because he wanted to learn more about his Mexican heritage. "I’m excited to share this exhibit with other Gonzaga students to increase awareness about Hispanic heritage in general, and in the DMV," he said.

Santiago Finol ’27 is of Venezuelan heritage and was eager to contribute to the food section of the exhibit. "Here we highlighted some local restaurants with very authentic Latin American food," he said. "I recommend that everyone go and try some of these foods especially since they’re so close to our school. My favorite food is arepas - they are delicious!"

Nico Velasquez ’26 brings his Puerto Rican background to the LASO community. "I joined LASO to share more about myself and learn more about different Hispanic cultures and build those connections," he explained. "We add so much to this community - not just at Gonzaga, but in this city and throughout the whole United States."

The exhibit is on display outside of the Innovation Commons and will run until October 20th.