Students and staff at California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB) came together Friday to enjoy tacos, Latin music and free soccer tickets in celebration of Cinco de Mayo.
The event, which was hosted by El Centro and Second-Year Experience students, was created as a way for people to come together and soak up the culture of Cinco De Mayo while also having a good time with free food.
“The significance of Cinco De Mayo is representing Mexican heritage and feeling culturally connected to that,” said Johnatan Portillo Ventura, a fourth-year member of El Centro at CSUMB.
El Centro is a Latinx and students success center so it’s considered to be a central hub for students on campus and mainly helps get them connected to the resources El Centro offers.
“As far as the event, we just wanted to host something that we could give back to our community, especially to the students. We just all wanted to be a part of this together to meet new people and celebrate,” said Ventura.
There was plenty to eat for students and staff such as beans, rice, tacos, churros, chips and salsa. There was also an opportunity for the first 50 students to win free tickets to the Monterey Bay Football Club game that was happening that night.
The students all seemed to be having a good time during the Cinco De Mayo festivities.
“I think the community portion has been my favorite part, like everyone coming together and just talking to each other even if we don’t know each other,” said third-year Angie Davis.
Cinco De mayo has different meanings for everyone.
“For me, Cinco De Mayo is a part of my heritage and it’s what I grew up doing so it’s an independence thing to remember your heritage,” said second-year Suzzy Mcdonald.
The students appreciated the time spent to enjoy the company of other people while also coming together whether that was with food or heritage wise.
“Honestly I think this kind of event was great for the community,” said Davis. “So I would like to see more events like this that bring people together, but I think doing things that everyone enjoys is very important, also reaching out to more students and not just students with the same major, but the ones that have different interests.”
