The Office of Student Leadership and Campus Life, alongside the Center of Mexican American Studies, hosted a luncheon in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month.

The Sept. 28 event consisted of a short presentation by Center of Mexican American Studies Coordinator Javier Morin and multiple dance demonstrations by Folklorico dancer and Del Mar College Alumna Teresa Saldivar.

Morin discussed the origins of Hispanic Heritage Month and how it has evolved since being established as Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968.

“Hispanic Heritage Month, at one point seemed like we were celebrating the cultures of other countries,” Morin said, “but I think that we’re evolving. Now it’s 2023 and Hispanic Heritage Month is more like a Hispanic American celebration.”

Morin went on to describe how the center and the college as a whole have celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month, including the art displays and cultural events on campus.

Following Morin’s presentation, Saldivar performed four dances at the event. She also spoke with the audience between dances, inviting some of them to join her in performing a Mexican step dance.

Saldivar has performed at Del Mar College multiple times in the past year, including the Mexican American Studies Summer Seminar in July.

A graduate from both Del Mar College and Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, she now works as a performer and a dance instructor at the Antonio E. Garcia Arts and Education Center and the Art Museum of South Texas Theater.

Her mother, Del Mar alumna Virginia Saldivar, was also present at the event. Both of her parents served a supporting role in her career, with her father having built a studio for her in a garage.

The Center of Mexican American Studies will be hosting another Del Mar College alumna, local artist Leticia Ernestina Gómez, on Oct. 18. Gómez will be giving a gallery talk at the center in the Coles Building.

Teresa Saldivar will be participating in the Día De Los Muertos event at Downtown Corpus Christi on Oct. 28. The event will run from 3 p.m. to midnight.