The International Student Union (ISU) partnered with Latin American Student Opportunities (LASO) to present Taste of Latin America March 7 where Latino culture was enjoyed by over 30 Union students.
“Because all the members of the ISU are all from different backgrounds, we always have one event that focuses on one of them,” said Jeremiah Murila, junior electrical engineering major and president of ISU.
This year ISU decided to choose to devote the event to a Latin American theme with Noemi Sisalema, junior economics major, as the main organizer. A native of Ecuador, Sisalema wanted to introduce students to Latin American culture as a whole.
The event started off with a trivia question competition covering topics from Pope Francis to natural disasters that have occurred throughout Latin America. Winners received culture-related prizes. A piñata contest soon followed.
Throughout the event, a variety of foods were served including arroz con leche (rice with milk), flan, tortillas, salsa and fried plantains. The foods were made by students and Leslie’s Bakery, a Latin American bakery in Jackson. The afternoon ended with salsa dancing lessons from Mary Ellen Poe, a recent Union alumna.
This is the first year that Latin America has been emphasized at an annual ISU event, Murila said. Past events have included a focus on Discovering Norway as well as Chinese New Year.
“We are so thankful that Union has been good to us, and [because] we are not from this country, we just wanted to share some of what we have with others,” Sisalema said.
