Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month
September 27, 2026
By Fatima Marquez and Samantha Seth
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we have interviewed Latine members of the OCC and asked them to reflect on their experiences at UMD. While attending a predominantly white institution, we wanted to learn how these students stay connected to their heritage, what they love to share about their culture, and what it means to be part of the OCC. Take a look at the Latinas in the OCC: Carmen, Diane, Gisselle & Fatima.
Carmen Orantes
Carmen as a young girl dressed in traditional attire.
What drives you to get involved in the OCC? What does it mean to be in the OCC for you?
“I am drawn to getting involved in the OCC because I value having a community where students can feel seen, supported, and celebrated. Being part of the OCC means contributing to a space that recognizes the many identities, histories, and experiences within the Latin community. As a student at UMD, it also means helping create opportunities for connection, and cultural pride so that people feel they belong on campus.”
What are your favorite things about celebrating your heritage? Who do you celebrate with?
“My favorite part of celebrating my heritage is the sense of connection it creates. I love the traditions that bring people together, especially food, music, language, stories, and family gatherings. Celebrating reminds me of where my family comes from and the values that have shaped me. I usually celebrate with my family, close friends, and other members of my community, whether that is through holidays, cultural events, or simply sharing a meal and spending time together.”
How do you stay in touch with your Latine heritage here at UMD?
“At UMD, I stay connected to my Latine heritage by spending time with other Latin students, and seeking spaces where I can share experiences with people who understand similar parts of my identity. I also stay connected through music, food, language, calls with family, and keeping traditions present in my everyday life. Being part of organizations and events that celebrate Latine culture helps make campus feel more like home.”
What is your favorite thing to share about your culture with those around you?
“My favorite thing to share is how much warmth, resilience, and community are embedded in my culture. I enjoy introducing people to the foods, music, traditions, and stories that are meaningful to me, but I also like sharing the values behind them, especially the importance of family, hospitality, and looking out for one another. I think cultural sharing creates opportunities for people to connect beyond assumptions and learn from one another.”
What’s a communication behavior you use from your culture that you have integrated into your communication style?
“A communication behavior I have integrated into my style is emphasizing warmth and personal connection. I try to greet people genuinely, ask about how they are doing, and make conversations feel welcoming rather than transactional. I also value expressive communication using tone, gestures, humor, and storytelling to make others feel included and understood. This has shaped how I build relationships, collaborate with others, and create community at UMD.”
Diane Ramirez Gomez
Diane celebrating her Quinceañera.
What drives you to get involved in the OCC? What does it mean to be in the OCC for you?
“I wanted to be part of the OCC because I knew it would be a great way to get out of my comfort zone and improve my communication skills. As a Latina, being part of the OCC also gives me the opportunity to bring a different perspective and help create a welcoming environment where other Latino students can feel comfortable and seen.”
What are your favorite things about celebrating your heritage? Who do you celebrate with?
“I love celebrating my Salvadoran heritage with my family, especially during Christmas and New Year's. It's always a fun time of year because we spend so much time together enjoying traditions like eating tamales, opening gifts at midnight and dancing late into the night.”
How do you stay in touch with your Latine heritage here at UMD?
“One way I stay connected to my heritage is by taking Latino Studies courses. These classes have helped me meet other Latino students at UMD and learn more about Latino history.”
What is your favorite thing to share about your culture with those around you?
“Definitely the food and music! I love going out with friends to eat Salvadoran food like pupusas and yuca con chicharrón. Whenever I'm on a road trip, I love playing old-school merengue and bachata. It's music I grew up listening to and still love.”
What’s a communication behavior you use from your culture that you have integrated into your communication style?
“I like speaking Spanglish and using Spanish slang with my Latino friends. I feel like it's a fun way to communicate because we understand the same expressions and jokes.”
Gisselle Martinez-Gonzalez
Gisselle attending a Jaripeo while holding the buchon her boyfriend got her.
What drives you to get involved in the OCC? What does it mean to be in the OCC for you? Could be as a Latina or as a student here at UMD.
“What drives me to be involved in the OCC is wanting to instill that same confidence in students who are facing anxiety and help them break out of their comfort zones. I want to help them find their voices and build confidence when speaking. For me, being in the OCC means being able to connect with students at UMD and encourage different perspectives to be shared throughout the world.”
What are your favorite things about celebrating your heritage? Who do you celebrate with?
“My favorite part about celebrating my heritage is the collective culture aspect of every tradition we have. From waking up to Latin rock in the mornings with my family, to how we show affection and make inside jokes that can only really be understood through words in Spanish, to dancing with loved ones at a quince, I love all the little things that make up my culture. I try to rep being Mexican every chance I get through my jerseys, ponchos, or sombrero. All of these aspects make me feel at home, whether I am spending this time with my family or my friends.”
What’s a communication behavior you use from your culture that you have integrated into your communication style?
“From nicknames to the way I joke, my communication style is extremely influenced by the way my family communicates with each other. With my friends and family, I can be very expressive, and my tone can fluctuate a lot. I am definitely not as direct compared to some of my friends. I try to avoid being super blunt or bringing things up right away because that is just how I grew up learning to avoid conflict. When speaking about something that happened in my personal life, I sometimes code-switch to emphasize my point or when I cannot find the right translation in English.”
What is your favorite thing to share about your culture with those around you?
“My favorite thing to share about my culture is our parties because they are the best way to experience so many different aspects of Mexican culture. At our parties, people can enjoy the food, music, dancing, decorations, and traditions that bring us together. From sharing foods like mangonadas and quesabirrias to dancing all night to bachata or norteño, every part of the celebration reflects the love and effort we put into celebrating with those we love.”
Fatima Marquez
Fatima is wearing ribbons in her hair (a common custom in Mexico) at her sister’s gradution.
What drives you to get involved in the OCC? What does it mean to be in the OCC for you? Could be as a Latina or as a student here at UMD.
“I love connecting with my peers! I also enjoy having a sense of community, which is what I get when I’m working with my fellow members in the OCC. I want to share the passion I have for public speaking with others who struggle to feel comfortable in front of a crowd. I also bring my ability to speak Spanish to the table. I am able to reach twice the number of people that way.”
What are your favorite things about celebrating your heritage? Who do you celebrate with?
“I absolutely love dancing with my family and friends to music like Zapateado, Merengue, Cumbia, & Duranguense. Whenever I dance, I am reminded of how much I love my people and their creativity. I definitely get this from my mom, any time she hears music, she says she can feel her feet pulsing with a great urge to dance the night away. I love our food and all, but our music, it’s just something so different. Not just Mexico, every country has such amazing music to dance to! I don’t care how silly I look, imma have a great time no matter what.”
How do you stay in touch with your Latine heritage here at UMD?
“Being at a PWI definitely has its challenges when it comes to staying in touch with my Latine heritage. However, I found student-led organizations that I am involved with. De Colores is the queer Latine club here on campus. My people! My first semester here, I actually took a Latine Communication class, and it is my favorite class I have taken. It was a small class, so it made it all the more engaging. Shout out to Dr. Raquel Moreria, love her!”
What is your favorite thing to share about your culture with those around you?
“Honestly, I love explaining the absurdity of some Mexican TV shows. Rosa de Guadalupe is always such a fun show to talk about with people who have never heard of it. I love seeing their faces when I tell them one episode really had a dog praying to the Virgin Mary. On a serious note, I love sharing art, music, films, and literature. Sometimes I struggle with my intersectionality as a Mexican-American. Finding art pieces that embody that experience allows me to feel seen and understood during these political times.”
What’s a communication behavior you use from your culture that you have integrated into your communication style?
“Hmm, I think pointing with my lips is something that I have noticed I’m doing a lot, even around people who probably don’t practice that in their cultures. Growing up with a lot of Salvadoran friends, I picked up a thing or two from them. I also gasp way too much as a reaction to things, maybe it’s all of the telenovelas I watched with my mom rubbing off on me. It’s never that serious.”