Sept. 15 marked the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month in the U.S. As Oct. 15 approached, Hispanic students and faculty reflected on their heritage and what it means to them.

Miguel Ayllon, director of the study abroad program, said he finds the city of Columbia welcoming and diverse.

“In many ways, the world is already here in Missouri because you can meet faculty and students from different parts of the world,” Ayllon said. “Even as you walk around campus you can hear different languages. It’s very neat.”

Ayllon moved to the U.S. from Peru in 1999 to study business and communications at Bryan College in Tennessee. He began working for Residential Life at MU in 2008 after his sister-in-law, who attended the university, recommended it to him.

Ayllon said he stays connected to his heritage through his involvement with Voz Latina, an on-campus organization dedicated to empowering the local Latino community.

Prior to studying in Tennessee, Ayllon attended one year of high school in Georgia. Ayllon said he was consistently treated with respect and kindness in the states he has lived in.

“I have been very blessed,” he said. “There was always someone that gave me a hand and willing to share their life with me. As a Hispanic-American now, I want to give back to the new students and new faculty.”

Throughout Hispanic Heritage Month, Ayllon said he reflected on his journey to citizenship, which he gained in April after 20 years.

For other students and faculty members of Hispanic background, Ayllon said he hopes they work to connect and bond with other groups.

“I think really good things happen when we get out of our comfort zone and we reach out across the aisle and say ‘help me understand your experiences,’” he said.

Sabrina Salinas-Medina, a freshman biology major, said her Mexican heritage plays a large role in her life, from the food she eats to the language she uses with her family.

Salinas-Medina said her parents moved to the U.S. on the same day they got married. They haven’t gone back to Mexico since.

“They’re technically still on their honeymoon,” Salinas-Medina said. “It’s a funny story.”

She said she encourages other Hispanic community members to retain a sense of community through cultural forces such as music.

“Music can bring all of us together,” she said. “It reminds me of so many things every time I listen to the music [of my culture].”

Spanish 1100 and 1200 instructor Pablo Serna, commemorates his heritage in his everyday life by running a Facebook group called Colombianos en Columbia … Missouri.

Serna moved to the U.S. from Colombia in 2006 and dedicates his time to ensure other Colombian community members feel welcome through the Facebook group.

“It’s an opportunity for Colombians to feel connected somehow,” he said. “We’ve helped people that have moved here find places to live, given them rides and picked them up from the airport. It’s a very strong thing that keeps us together.”

Serna said in his personal life he keeps certain traditions alive for his family through a novena, an important set of traditions and prayers performed before Christmas.

Serna said he also makes an effort to take his two children to Colombia whenever he has the opportunity.

“I think it’s very valuable to be grateful for what you have and where you’re from,” he said.

Clearly, Hispanic Heritage Month marks a time of reflection among MU faculty and staff. Despite the month coming to an end, Ayllon, Salinas-Medina and Serna all agreed that maintaining traditions and a sense of community ought to persist.

_Edited by Ben Scott | bscott@themaneater.com_