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Attendees of the Hispanic Heritage Celebration on the Downers Grove Campus were delighted by the musical talents of the mariachi band who sang and played cultural songs in the Commons. The band serenaded attendees at tables and gave a performance in the hall. The event was hosted by the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Student Services, the Hispanic Healthcare Association (HHA), and the Hispanic Student Dental Association (HSDA). A poster with details about Hispanic countries such as Guatemala, Mexico, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Chile, and Belize; the independence days of the countries; and cultural traditions and holidays were on display as well.

College of Pharmacy, Downers Grove student and HHA president Jasmine Nava (CPDG ’26) said, “When I first heard the Mariachi band, I was teary-eyed to see my culture represented.” Pharmacy student and vice president of the HHA Kimberly Gonzalez (CPDG ’26) concurred, “We’re proud to be here and share our culture. There are a lot of Hispanic students on campus. At ������Ƶ, everyone has opportunities to have space and share their cultures.”

The event also displayed posters on the wall of the Commons featuring prominent members of the Hispanic community who made significant contributions to the healthcare field. Nora Volkow, M.D., Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), work includes utilizing brain imaging to show that substance abuse is a brain disorder. Charles Juan Finlay M.D. is known for his discovery of yellow fever transmission from mosquitoes to humans. Scientific research by Salvador Moncada, M.D. includes the effect of medication like aspirin on preventing cardiovascular issues such as a stroke. Ildaura Murillo-Rohde, Ph.D., RN, was the first Hispanic nurse to graduate from New York University with a doctorate and advocated for representation of the Hispanic population in healthcare.

Attending students also discussed the event. Biomedical Sciences student Ndeye Silla (CGS-Downers Grove MABS ’25) said, “It’s really important to highlight diverse cultures in healthcare and see the posters with the scientific figures who contributed to the medical field.” Ndeye described the importance of the event. “It allows us to get to know and appreciate what other cultures have to offer. We have more in common than we have different. We deal with different patients, and communities, and developing cultural competency is important. The University makes events and offers them to the students, and that’s key,” Ndeye said.

“I’m interested in the Hispanic culture, and I’m trying to learn Spanish,” shared Biomedical Sciences student Samia Aljaradat (MABS ’25). She said events like Hispanic Heritage Month are important for learning about diversity in a professional setting and to gain more knowledge about aspects of cultures, including the language, music, and food. Samia shared that ������Ƶ supports diversity overall by offering multiple clubs that support different cultures including the Arab Student Union and the MWU Greek Club.

Through cultural events, ������Ƶ seeks to ensure students prosper to become inclusive, well-rounded, patient-centered healthcare professionals. Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15 to October 15 annually. The heritage celebration initially began as Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968 in the U.S. and expanded to a monthlong observation in 1988.