At her daughter’s graduation ceremony last summer, Maria Eugenia Goméz felt left out. The Mexican-American parent said she couldn’t understand the long, English speeches and besides the occasional clapping, Goméz wasn’t able to fully participate in the celebration.
But at Saint Louis University’s first Latine Student Graduation, Goméz said she felt included on her youngest daughter Nathalie Villalobos’ big day. Speaking through an interpreter, Goméz said the Spanish and English ceremony was meaningful.
“I was crying so much,” Goméz said. “Just to be able to understand what’s happening and be a part of it actively, not just sitting and not understanding — it means a lot as a Hispanic woman and as a mother.”
The ceremony on May 14 honored 10 graduates with Latin American, Caribbean and Hispanic backgrounds and featured reflections from students and faculty members in Spanish and English.
As president of SLU’s Oasis club, Villalobos said she organized the ceremony to celebrate her peers and honor her parents. The event was a thank you to them and other families, she said.
“For how much energy, work and money they put in my future I think they deserve recognition in a language they know,” Villalobos said.
Affinity graduation ceremonies have long been a way to recognize the achievements of underrepresented students. At SLU, that includes Sankofa, which recognizes Black graduates, and Lavender Graduation, which honors students who identify as LGBTQ+.
However, President Donald Trump’s calls to cut diversity initiatives on school and college campuses have brought new scrutiny to affinity graduation ceremonies. Some universities such as Harvard have told students it would no longer host and fund affinity celebrations.
“I’m just so excited we got to do this, especially when it wasn’t always clear if we’d get to do these kinds of ceremonies that cater to specific groups this year,” said psychology professor Annie Artiga Garner.
Garner, who gave remarks in Spanish and English to guests gathered at SLU’s Il Monastero Hall, found out she received full professorship in her department a day before the ceremony so she said the event felt like a celebration for her, too.
“It was really emotional,” Garner said. “I have been throughout my life in educational spaces that were primarily white and did not have many Latino students. And so to be in a setting where we’re celebrating our culture, our community and our students’ achievements was really just really powerful.”
The administration’s crackdown on immigration has also brought fear to many immigrant and Hispanic communities, said Melissa Ochoa, an assistant professor in the Women and Gender Studies Department.
Gatherings like the Latine Graduation are a way to build community in the face of hate, Ochoa added.
“It’s a form of resistance to be able to get together during such a time where we’re dehumanized because of ICE,” Ochoa said.
Around 150 people attended the ceremony, which is a testament to its importance on campus, said Rene Ortiz, a Mexican-American who came with his wife from Chicago for their son’s graduation.
“You feel home,” Ortiz said about hearing and speaking Spanish at the event. “For me, even though I’m not a student graduating, but [I felt] like lucky to come to the very first Latine ceremony and witness how it feels for them to achieve this.”
SLU’s Cross Cultural Center sponsored the ceremony and helped pay for honor cords, light refreshments and butterfly pins that graduates gave to family members and mentors in gratitude.
The ceremony was especially meaningful for Leahan Castillo, an international student from Belize. The Doisy College of Health Sciences graduate said gathering with other people from Latin America while she is far from home made her “heart happy.”
“I just really hope that it continues,” Castillo said. “I really hope to hear about the 25th Annual Latin Graduation.”