On Sept. 8, Bienvenida was the first of four welcome events to gather Matadors in a space full of culture, connection and community.
Part of the Cultural Welcome series and Heritage Month Events, Bienvenida was a three-hour event held in the Northridge Center, University Student Union (USU). It is a collaborative campus effort that brings in people from different associations, staff, students and faculty across campus to help create the event.
The welcomes showcase the importance of fostering community. Natalie Johnson, manager of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at the USU, explained that culture welcomes are created based on specific groups that have lower retention and graduation stats. Johnson said that events are held at the beginning of each semester to welcome freshman, first-time transfers and students who may be unfamiliar with the cultural welcomes.
“We intentionally reach out to departments, clubs, orgs, as well as external organizations that might identify with these groups to come and table, so our students can know the resources that are on campus, off campus, as well as the cultural components are also very important,” Johnson said.
Various resources booths, such as the Dream Center, University Counseling Services and Latinx Resource Center were also present to allow students to have one space where they can get all the information at once. In addition, clubs such as Colita De Rana promoted emotional healing and mental health support by creating a sense of community so students don’t feel alone.
Shaelynn Cruz, chicano studies major and president of Colita de Rana, explained that being at Bienvenida allowed them to tailor to their Latino community.
“I feel like mental health is not really spoken in the Latino community,” Cruz said. “Like, they don’t have this probably at home. Their parents are like, ‘Oh, you don’t need that’ you know, ‘mental health doesn’t exist within,’ they say, ‘in the Latino community,’ but to us here in Colita, we say it does, and we should reach out to help when we do need it. That’s why we tend to do this club for that.”
Cruz said that students would feel more connected to their Latino community going to Bienvenida or CSUN in general.
“Even if there are many commuters at CSUN that may want to go home,” Cruz said “this gives them an opportunity to get to know more clubs that are here on campus.”
Students were also given a free tote bag and a small paper to obtain four stamps and complete the survey to claim a giveaway item. Within the event, students could grab food, such as catering by Melly’s Bakery and agua frescas of mamey and horchata.
Students were able to engage in activities such as Lotería, which is a traditional Mexican game using cards with illustrations, similar to bingo except without the numbers, and color small wooden animals with a Day of the Dead sugar skull skeleton design.
Music also entered the lively scene as performances from CSUN Ballet Folkloricore and Mariachi Aztlán Nueva Generación de CSUN showcased traditional music and dances.
Katherine Maldonado, a psychology student, said that Bienvenida feels like a family as it was very welcoming, caring and supportive. Maldonado explained what she enjoyed about Bienvenida.
“I really like the painting. The food was really good and the dances too. Everything is really pretty,” Maldonado said. “I like to try new things and participate in everything.”
The welcome events are open to everyone and allow people to learn more about the different cultures, traditions, food, music and resources.
“It’s not only a time for those students who might identify with that welcome to come and kind of be celebrated, but also people who are allies, people who want to learn more,” Johnson said. “people who don’t get to see these resources or these identities be celebrated to come and be together in community.”
The USU Cultural Welcomes will continue until Sept. 15. To stay updated on upcoming USU events, visit their events calendar.
