(Photo courtesy of liveabout.com) “LASA will be teaching dancing which is important to Latin culture.”

Valentina Munoz Roa
Connector Staff

Rumba Latina run by the Latin American Student Association is taking place April 6, 2023, at 7pm at Moloney Hall in University Crossing. It will honor every Latin nation and culture through an all-inclusive event.

Latin American Student Association (LASA) organizes Rumba Latin every year during the spring. LASA was established to be a space for students of Hispanic and/or Latin background to come together to do fun activities and get to know other fellow students with the same or different nationality. It’s a great place for incoming students or students struggling to feel connected to their heritage on campus. The organization is run by their president, Ricky Canales, and vice president, Nataly Ortega. There are currently eight executive-board members that plan and coordinate events and meetings. There are around 60 active members in LASA that attend meetings to socialize and enjoy. Anyone is welcome to come to their meetings on Wednesday’s at 6pm at University Crossing, room 242.

“Personally, I feel like in any university in the U.S it’s really hard to find any people the same race and background as you, especially in an [all white university] it makes it hard for people of color to find their [people] that have the same struggles,” says the president of LASA. “LASA provided that for me. Anywhere else on campus I would have not found that safe space.”

The organization is a safe place for any Latino/Hispanic heritage UMass Lowell student to connect with other members and students. It is one club that represents all the Latin cultures and brings together students of all types of backgrounds through activities and meetings. Canales states how the organizations says, “we are here, and we matter, and we are represented.” LASA is open to anyone joining their activities run by the E-board on Wednesdays such as scavenger hunts, smore making, cooking decorating and so much more. This spring semester LASA is hoping to bring in more activities such as activities for women’s history month and end of the year.

Rumba Latina is the event that LASA is most excited about this spring semester. “This event will allow us to honor every Latin nation and culture through performance, food, music, and other activities,” says Canales.

“This year, we have decided to make the event free rather than selling tickets because we believe everyone should have the opportunity to attend a major cultural club/organization event at the university, this way people will also get the opportunity to get a taste of our cultures,” says Canales.

This year’s Rumba, said the president, they want to “raise it to another level.” LASA hopes to bring in another experience to Rumba Latina that has not been seen before at the event. Last year LASA had multiple performances so this year we hope to see so much more and possibly recurring performances.

Anyone is welcome to attend the event. It will be a celebration of the diverse Latin culture at UMass Lowell and it’s a great way to bring everyone together before the end of the semester.

“The fact that our board is investing a lot of time and effort to make it the finest event possible, one that people will enjoy and remember, makes it even more exciting for our organization,” says Canales.

The E-board members think of Rumba Latina as their baby and are taking their time to plan this well for everyone to enjoy. Last year they had performances by nine to ten dancers and singers, a saxophone soloist, and lots of cultural dances, said treasurer Brian Cleavitt. All the food represented different culinary delicacies from Latin America such as arroz con pollo and flan. The formal event was a hit with an estimated 200 attendees. What could we expect for this year’s Rumba Latina?

LASA is open to new members. So, pop by and become a member because, as the president of LASA says, “we think of the members of LASA as a familia because we are there for each other.” Join the familia and check out Rumba Latina