January 26 was Northwestern College’s Latino Raider Day. An event held in the Vogel Room in the Learning Commons from 8:30 am to 2:00 pm for current and future students to experience and learn more about Northwestern’s campus community.
Latino Raider Day gives people the opportunity to meet current Latino students attending Northwestern, tour the campus, hear first-hand experiences from staff, faculty, students, and learn how to apply to Northwestern with payment plans in hopes of becoming a Raider. This event was held in both Spanish and English with translation to accommodate for everyone joining.
Martha Draayer, one of the speakers, spoke on how there is opportunity to bring unity and inform Latinos, perspective students, and current students on what we have at Northwestern and what we are trying to build. Offering clubs like the I-club, La Mosaic, The Cultural Festival, and many more Bridge Center Events, Northwestern faculty and staff highlight how important building culture is.
All these clubs and events are intended for both noninteractional and international students to socialize and learn about each other’s cultures through activities, events, and meetings. Finding support through friends, faculty, and teachers is a huge part of Northwestern’s mission for diversity.
Jose Sanchez, senior at Northwestern attended the event and made the comment, “Latino Raider Day is a fun event to attend and a great way to check out the campus and get a good idea of the Latino culture.” Sanchez recommends any current student and perspective student interested in attending Northwestern to attend this event and all events similar. Latino Raider Day has been going on for years and is planning on continuing for many more to come.
Northwestern works hard to make everyone feel loved, welcomed, and heard through all the events, activities, and clubs offered. As stated on the Northwestern’s website under their vision for diversity, Northwestern “strives to pursue God’s redeeming work in the world by courageously and faithfully engaging the fullness of our similarities and differences in our learning and living together.”
The overall goal of these events are to bridge the gap between the cultures represented here and provide community to students who want to know what other people experience in their culture along with building connections with those around. Latino Raider Day is one of the many events that showcases Northwestern’s mission for building a stronger culture on campus.
