Finishing their first year with a bang, El Centro at Cal State Monterey Bay (CSUMB) put on a farewell celebration for around 160 students, staff and faculty.
“This is an event to commemorate the semester and say goodbye,” said first-year Lara Arias, a student coordinator at El Centro. “I love working at El Centro, my favorite part is that it feels like a community. I love my coworkers – they’re my friends, my mentors, they’re amazing … working at El Centro feels like a family.”
Inside of the center, there were supplies for candle making and many friendly faces. On the lawn in front of El Centro, there were ingredients to assemble tortas, as well as groups of students sunbathing, practicing yoga and playing loteria.
At least one dozen students gathered around a table in El Centro to decorate candles with colorful wax, painting on unique designs while enjoying the company of fellow attendees. The student running the activity, Kiana Vazquez, explained, “I just like spreading my culture around and teaching other people.”
Vazquez is a first-year psychology major, and also serves in the Folklorico de Monterey Bay club on campus. “We’re just here to collaborate with El Centro and spread Latiné joy.”
Other students passed by the event, some popping into El Centro to greet friends who were lounging in the room.
“I love El Centro, I think that all the events they put on are both culturally significant and also just a really good time,” said fourth-year Jacque McKay. “I’m going to miss speaking spanglish without judgment, and kind of going in and out of it with ease, it’s really beautiful.” McKay is graduating this spring, and said they will “miss coming in [to El Centro] and always having people to talk to, and just having an immediate connection based on our culture.”