Whitman’s Language Cafe hosted a Hispanic Heritage Month event in the Commons during lunch Oct. 1. 

Latino Student Union members set up a table featuring an array of cultural decorations and Hispanic snacks, including plantain chips and Argentinian cookies. 

Senior Maia Cristia, co-president of the Latino Student Union, emphasized the value of school-wide cultural celebrations. 

“It is really important for everybody to know that they belong somewhere,” Cristia said. “I know there’s not a huge percentage of Latino students, but it’s still super crucial to have representation for every culture.” 

The Language Cafe, founded by Spanish teacher Rebecca Zatz, organizes monthly events to celebrate different cultures.

Junior Olivia Mosier sampled some of the snacks and said it was meaningful to see her heritage being represented. 

“I think these events are a really good example of cultural diffusion and how our school values the individuality of each student,” Mosier said.

Language Cafe co-presidents Zoey Rees and Sylvie Cohen said their next event will celebrate Diwali later this month. Rees and Cohen noted their goal to plan one to two events each month. 

“[The Language Cafe] partners with ethnic clubs or students, and we hold our events in the Commons,” Rees said. “We just want everyone to be able to see their culture represented at Whitman.”