Flags from across Latin America filled the Graduate Commons as Rice grad students gathered Sept. 18 for Fiesta de Independencia, an evening celebrating national traditions, shared culture and community.
Hosted by the Latin American Graduate Student Association, the event coincided with Hispanic Heritage Month and several Latin American independence anniversaries. Students shared food, stories and traditions representing Mexico, Chile, Brazil, Ecuador and other countries across the region.
“This is a way to commemorate the independence of many other countries in Latin America,” said Erik Rodríguez Terán, a doctoral student in biochemistry and cell biology from Mexico City and treasurer of LAGSA. “We are just taking the opportunity to celebrate everyone.”
The evening included a shared version of “El Grito,” a Mexican Independence Day tradition in which a leader calls out expressions of national pride and the crowd responds with “¡Viva!”
“We’re trying to take one Mexican tradition — the cry of ‘Viva Mexico’ or ‘viva’ whatever country you’re from — and make that available for everyone, not just Mexicans,” Rodríguez Terán said.
For Chilean student Sebastian Berrios, the celebration fell on Chile’s Independence Day. He helped serve choripán, a traditional sandwich made with grilled sausage and bread.
“As a Chilean student, I’m missing home so much during these days,” Berrios said. “All my family is back there celebrating and having a good time. Having the chance to replicate this in Houston, here at Rice, at Valhalla, means a lot to me.”
While Hispanic Heritage Month provided a natural backdrop for the event, the celebration also recognized the range of identities, languages and histories found across Latin America.
“I’m from Brazil. Technically, we’re not Hispanic, but we’re also in Latin America,” Isabela Padilha Vilela, a Ph.D. student in political science, said. “I think this is a time to celebrate everybody and celebrate both our differences — our cultural differences and different languages — but also what we have in common.”
Padilha Vilela said events like Fiesta de Independencia help graduate students build relationships beyond their departments and research areas.
“Each one of us is working in a very specific department, and within that, we’re working on very specific projects,” she said. “But then we get to come together during these events and celebrate something that binds us together.”
That sense of connection can be especially important for international students adjusting to life in the United States and navigating the demands of graduate study.
Rodríguez Terán described LAGSA as both a social community and a support network of friends who understand the academic and personal challenges its members face.
“I share my language and culture with them, and they also understand what I’m struggling with,” he said. “Making this for the new students is also a way of paying back what LAGSA has given me so far.”
Katherine Vasquez, a doctoral student in bioengineering, said Rice offers several ways for Latino students from different backgrounds to find community and maintain connections to their cultures.
“Rice really celebrates Latino identity,” Vasquez said. “The fact that Rice provides these different ways of connecting with other people who might have similar experiences and share your identity is really special. It’s probably one of my favorite things about Rice.”
She added that those friendships provide meaningful support when graduate school becomes difficult.
“Having that strong community makes it so that you have the strength to continue,” Vasquez said. “You have other people to hold you up whenever you feel like you don’t have the strength to continue on your own.”
Jefferson Hernandez, a fifth-year doctoral student in computer science from Ecuador and a former LAGSA president, said joining students from across Latin America helped him recognize how much their cultures share.
“You are in your bubble in your country, and you say, ‘These things are unique to my culture,’” Hernandez said. “But in reality, they are not, because it’s a shared culture across Hispanic America.”
As the evening continued with food, conversation and calls of “¡Viva!” beneath the flags at Valhalla, Hernandez captured the spirit of the celebration simply.
“Tonight, we’re all united, celebrating the independence of our countries,” he said.