Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month at Muskingum University
Image by Katelyn Lindsey
By Katelyn Lindsey
Every year from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, communities across the United States celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, honoring the history, culture and contributions of the Hispanic and Latino communities. The observation of Hispanic Heritage Month began in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage week under Lyndon B. Johnson but was extended into a month-long celebration during the Reagan administration in 1988.
Study abroad flyers at Muskingum University / Photo by Lindsey
Since 2021, Spanish professor Kathleen Cunniffe Peña has led the charge in celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month at Muskingum University. Through various events, students and staff have celebrated the contributions of Hispanic Americans and the Hispanic community on campus.
Over the course of the month, several events took place on campus, ranging from food events such as “Paella Night” to panel discussions. The Muskingum Cultural Engagement and Inclusion Office (CEI) held a Spanish Duolingo competition where the campus community had a chance to earn prizes.
Recognizing and celebrating different people and cultures
On Sept. 27 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. a Study Abroad Panel was held in the Library Colloquium. Several students who had studied abroad in Costa Rica in the summer of 2023 shared their experiences from the program, and food from Tapa’s Carribean Kitchen in Zanesville, Ohio, was served during the event.
Aiden West / Photo by Lindsey
Aidan West is a student at Muskingum University who attended the panel discussion. West said that he attended the panel to hear the experiences of fellow students. As a non-Hispanic student, West finds value in Hispanic Heritage month and recognizing the contributions of Hispanic Americans.
Quinten Collins / Photo by Lindsey
“I think maybe people feel isolated or something and it can maybe make them feel more comfortable and more appreciated on campus. You know, the same reason like it's good to have to celebrate Black History Month. It's good to recognize people [and] communities,” West said.
Quinten Collins is a graduate assistant for Muskingum’s CEI office. His current roles include running the social media accounts and assisting the office.
“It's really cool to just learn about the Hispanic heritage just growing up I didn't really have much knowledge of it. And so now that I'm in the office and I'm working with it every day, it's really cool get informed and educate myself on the different Hispanic cultures,” Collins said.
“It is about sharing”
Valentina Dimarco from Universidad Blas Pascal in Argentina and Álvaro Pereda-Loriente from Universidad Castilla-La Mancha in Spain shared insights about their home universities and the programs available for current or graduating students.
Dimarco studies Institutional Communication back in Argentina, and is spending the fall semester as a language assistant at Muskingum. She hosted “Maté Monday”, where students could try maté, a traditional Argentine herbal drink, and learn about its cultural importance. She shared what the tradition of sharing maté means to her and how it brings people together.
Valentina Dimarco / Photo by Lindsey
“It was so good...also a girl sent me a message after Maté Monday, and she told me that she bought a maté. It was so good. I feel so like, ‘oh my God’, it was so good. And they went there [the event], to understand what it is for us,” Dimarco said.
While campus events are great for bringing people together, Dimarco also encourages students to approach exchange students and ask about things they’re unfamiliar with to build connections.
Álvaro Pereda-Loriente, a bilingual education teacher graduate from Spain, is at Muskingum to assist as a spanish language assistant during the 2024-25 academic year.
Pereda-Loriente / Photo by Lindsey
Pereda-Loriente hosted “Paella Night” where students were able to try the Spanish dish. For Pereda-Loriente, the evening was about more than just food. It was a chance to build connections and share a piece of his life back home.
“It's not even about how good the paella is... but it is about sharing. Being around people here and just, like, giving them what I have or what I will have if was at home on a Sunday afternoon. It was very beautiful,” Pereda-Loriente said.
Pereda-Loriente said that despite the chaos of pots and pans and not having the correct cooking equipment, the night was full of connections.
Authentic cultural exchanges
Kathleen Cunniffe Peña, an assistant professor of Spanish at Muskingum University, shared her reflections on this year’s Hispanic Heritage Month, emphasizing the importance of supporting Hispanic-owned businesses and creating opportunities for authentic cultural engagement.
“It was really fun, you know, one of my favorite things about Hispanic Heritage Month is being able to support Hispanic-owned businesses and entrepreneurs,” Cunniffe Peña said. “And so, you know, if we if we bring food in for an event, for example, last Friday we made sure we got food from a local restaurant from Tapas, Caribbean Kitchen in Zanesville.”
Assistant professor of Spanish Cunniffe Peña / Photo by Lindsey
She emphasized the collaboration between the World Languages Department and the Cultural Engagement Office.
“I'm a Spanish teacher, I love Hispanic cultures, but that's not my native culture. And so I feel like it's a lot more authentic when it comes from someone. And it's organized by someone who does, you know, represent that culture,” Cunniffe Peña said.
For Cunniffe Peña, Hispanic Heritage Month is an opportunity to celebrate and authentically represent Hispanic cultures while also educating the community about the diverse contributions and ongoing influence of Hispanic Americans in the United States from a cultural and political perspective. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Hispanic Americans make up 19.1% of the U.S. Population as of 2022.
“It’s an opportunity to shine a light and to educate our community about the diversity of the Spanish speaking world and the role that Hispanic cultures have played and still play in U.S. culture,” Cunniffe Peña said.
