CTX Blog
Student-Stories, Student-Activities, Culture

¿Hablamos Español? We do!

October 04, 2024 by Caleb Elkins
Hablamos Espanol by LASO

Concordia University Texas is an amazing campus full of diversity among its students. We have people from all over the world, with a variety of cultural backgrounds, and it’s amazing to see what they have to offer. One of the more prominent clubs for sharing culture is our Spanish Conversational Club, also known as Hablemos. Currently run by student Ana Gamez, they meet every Monday in the new Center for Belonging & Faith, in building F. I went to their most recent meeting, and it was amazing!

I had the opportunity to interview Gamez about the club and why she decided to join, let alone take on a leadership role. When asked why the club was founded, she said, “There’s a large Hispanic and Latino community in this college, and it’s just a space for everyone to have a space for culture, depending on where you’re from or how you identify.”

As for why she decided to join the club, Gamez shared, “I’ve always felt really close to my roots, so I always love, you know, advocating for Latinos, and I did it when I was in High school. Now the opportunity presented itself and I just jumped into it, just because I love Latino culture”.

Gamez and the Hablemos club are incredible examples of the unity and diversity at CTX. They openly share what makes them who they are, in a way that both encourages within their community to do the same, while also inviting those outside their culture to learn about it. At the meeting, they provided handouts with simple topics, Spanish phrases, and punctuation guides for those unfamiliar with the language. The atmosphere was welcoming to everyone who stopped by.

Gamez had more to share about the club, and her thoughts on how it is a benefit to CTX. “It’s a space for students to have a safe space to share their culture and grow in their culture. You know, sometimes as a Latino in the United States, you feel lost because you’re not immersed in your culture, so it’s nice to really feel like you have some place to be at, you know, a place to belong.”

It was clear at the meeting that all the members there loved their culture and were eager to share it. If you have a desire to learn more about other cultures, languages, or people, this is definitely a club that should be on your list.

About the Author

Caleb Elkins is a first-year student at CTX, planning to graduate in 2028. He is involved in Student Government, part of the Honors College, and is an intern at Concordia Texas’ Ultraviolet Student Agency. Caleb is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in the pre-seminary program. In the future, he hopes to go to seminary and follow the path the Lord has set before him.

 

Caleb Elkins at Concordia University Texas