October 15th marked the end of Hispanic Heritage Month, where each year from September 15 to October 15, we celebrate the histories, cultures, and contributions of people whose roots can be traced back to Mexico, Spain, the Caribbean and Central and South America.

This year at Temple University Japan we celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month with a Friday Fiesta event hosted by TUJ LEAD to highlight the diversity of Latin cultures on campus.

The students were able to celebrate by enjoying the sounds of Latin music, the taste of Latin food, and the company of our Latin American students at TUJ. Savannah Walker from TUJ’s very own DJ club mixed Latin tunes ranging from Bad Bunny to Gloria Trevi while Mizuki Kisaku, leader of the Latin Culture Club, showed us her affinity for Latin culture with some dance moves. Our tastebuds also did the tango with empanadas from Elizabeth our wonderful vendor, and fruits and candy covered in Tajin and lime that made our lips purse with its tangy sour and spicy flavor.

At the end of the night some of our students took some time to play Loteria, a Mexican game similar to bingo, while the rest made the beautiful Mexican paper craft, Papel Picado. The TUJ LEAD event was a success as TUJ students ended their week with empanada-filled bellies and the echoes of Latin music in their ears.

Even though Hispanic Heritage Month has come to an end, we at TUJ LEAD and the TUJ student body will continue to celebrate our Hispanic students as we learn more about the cultures in our diverse community at TUJ!