Spanish Culture at USF

Story by Miranda Cain

Students and staff across the campus of the University of Sioux Falls are exploring cultures outside of the Midwestern traditions. USF Spanish Professor, Willie Suarez, sat down with College Week and shared what benefits Spanish students have by being a part of the department and emerging themselves into the Hispanic community in the Sioux Falls area.

Held every year at Falls Park, the Cinco de Mayo Festival is taking place on Saturday, May 10th. As a community-wide event, everyone is invited to attend and enjoy delicious cuisine and catchy music.

“The students that take Spanish classes every year, participate in this event,” says Suarez.

In collaborating with various music groups, food vendors and other Hispanic contributors, Suarez says there will be a great variety of activities at the Cinco de Mayo festival. Though most of the volunteer work consists of setting up vendor tents, tables, and chairs, the students are able to travel to a Hispanic country for a day.

“Cinco de Mayo, most of all, is a celebration that enforces the identity of not just Mexican Americans or Latino Americans, in the United States. It is an event in which emphasizes it” Suarez says.

Serving as a contribution to the Hispanic culture in the community, Suarez and other event coordinators hope the festival can create ties between the various cultures in the community and bring Sioux Falls closer together.