By Valentina Toro
Features Editor
Mi Gente, Mi Familia, Mis Amigos invited students to pause and connect through art, transforming a campus gathering space into a shared mural that celebrated belonging and community during Week of Welcome.
Held in Engleman Hall Room B121 on Jan. 28, the collaborative mural event encouraged students, faculty and staff to write or draw what family, friendship and community mean to them.
Markers and stickers filled the tables as conversations unfolded organically around the students’ artwork.
“We wanted to do something more artistic, something that brings people together and celebrates Latino culture, especially with everything happening in the world right now,” Bursar Esteban Garcia said. “It’s about reminding students there’s a community here that can support them.”
The event has been part of campus programming for several years, Garcia said, but this semester’s version emphasized participation and personal reflection.
Organizers intentionally scheduled the event during Week of Welcome when students are still forming routines and relationships.
Rather than relying solely on student organizations, faculty members were encouraged to bring their classes.
That approach, Garcia said, helps students who may feel hesitant attending events alone, particularly first-year and transfer students who are still navigating campus.
“We hear from a lot of students, and sometimes they feel isolated or don’t have time to join clubs, so we like to partner with faculty members to bring their classes to create a low-pressure way for students to participate without feeling like they’re walking into a space alone,” Garcia said.
Around the mural, students gathered at tables drawing symbols and leaving messages both in Spanish and English. Flags and handwritten phrases filled the space, reflecting the diversity of experiences within the Latino community.
“I always wanted something where I could celebrate my Hispanic side and meet other people who are Hispanic,” elementary education major Nyla Howard, a junior, said. “Seeing events like this on campus makes my heart smile.”
For students like her, the event offered more than a creative outlet. It created a visible space where identity and culture were not only acknowledged but shared openly, allowing connections to form naturally through conversation and collaboration.
During the busy first week of the semester, the event created a calm space for students and faculty. Between classes and other commitments, it provided an opportunity to slow down and engage without pressure.
Faculty members also saw value in stepping outside the classroom. Jesse Gleason, a professor who works in the world languages & literatures department, attended the event with her class and said the setting created opportunities for more natural interaction.
Outside the structure of lectures and assignments, students and professors were able to have more natural conversations and see one another beyond their academic roles, helping to ease early-semester tension and build familiarity.
“Especially during Week of Welcome, when everyone feels a little overwhelmed, this kind of space offers a breath of fresh air,” Gleason said. “It allows students and faculty to connect outside the structure of the classroom and share in the cultures that make up our community.”