The Latinx Resource Center (LRC) had a closing ceremony and Pachanga on Thursday, Oct. 14.
According to their official Instagram page, the ceremony came about due to the Celebrando Nuestra Raices Committee, the LRC, the office of Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and Regional Affairs in collaboration with ONE SDSU.
To get into the event, students registered for free within just a few minutes. The use of masks was mandatory.
The word pachanga has many origin stories but, according to diccionario libre it means a “party where dance is never lacking.”
Psychology third year, Adamari Cardenas attended the event.
Cardenas is Mexican and from Cualiacán, Sinaloa, specifically.
“My parents moved here when I was born,” Cardenas said.
Cardinas said the music associated with Sinaloa with the most frequency is Banda, but she liked the mariachi music playing in the middle of the Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union, in the background as she talked.
“I think everyone is here for the tacos and the food in general, but I’m really enjoying the music,” Cardenas said.
Andrew Rodriguez is a San Diego State alumni, holding a degree in music education. He was one of the mariachis at the pachanga.
Rodriguez said the university invited him to play because they know his history with music, which he’s been playing since he was 13 years old. Rodriguez now teaches at Bell Middle School and started a mariachi program there.
“I was recommended through my professors to perform for this event,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez said he got involved with mariachi since he grew up in San Diego and interacted with mariachi in middle school. He has directed the mariachi at St. Paul’s cathedral in downtown San Diego, according to villa musica’s website.
“I don’t come from a family of musicians,” Rodriguez said. “My career aspiration was to become a music teacher and so it allowed me to teach in the Southbay where I came from.”
Cardenas was accompanied by her friend, Melissa Perez, who had invited her.
Melissa Perez is a member of the Center for Latinx Resources (LRC).
“I heard about the event through the Center for Latinx Resource’s Instagram,” Perez said.
Perez liked the food and music offered at the event. There were tacos, ice cream and churros. There were also performances from the group Wa-Kushma and a DJ from suspiro tropical radio (Tropical Whisper).
Throughout the night, students got together in the union to dance while music played with red and yellow lights igniting the halls.
Student leaders, professors and guests could all be found in the area. A little girl with a pink dress waved hello as the mariachi band played on and bowed when the audience clapped.
Cardenas said the Pachanga was the first event of its kind that she had gone to with Perez.
“This is the first time she invited me to something that’s like hispanic/latino related,” Cardenas said.
They said they want to attend more events like that one in the future.
