Latinx Heritage Month is coming to an end this week, and Chapman University — along with the rest of Orange County — did not miss out on the celebrations. 

Over 17% of undergraduate students identify as being Hispanic or Latinx at Chapman, a percentage of the student body that has continuously grown for the past five years. 

University President Daniele Struppa recently committed the university to becoming a Hispanic Serving Institution during his 2022 State of the University address, a designation assigned to schools with at least 25% of their student body being of Hispanic origin.

Considering the demographics of the surrounding Orange County community, this is a goal that should be easily tangible for the school. While Hispanic students are one of the largest minority groups represented at Chapman, it is still a dismal proportion of the surrounding Orange County community, where Hispanic residents are nearing the majority. 

Approximately 34% of Orange County residents are Hispanic, with the number reaching over 75% in Santa Ana specifically.

Just walk through the neighboring city of Santa Ana and a rich Hispanic culture abounds.

Santa Ana hosted many events throughout the months of September and October in honor of Latinx Heritage Month.

The crown jewel of Latinx Heritage Month celebrations in Santa Ana is sure to be Mexico’s Independence Day. One of the many city events in honor of this special day was El Grito — a kickoff celebration that drew a large crowd to downtown’s Calle Cuatro Plaza where performers, food vendors and city officials all gathered together to host a night of celebration.

Many performers, including La Tequilera, El Grupo Folklorico de Camila Castillo and Los Tlahualiles de Sahuayo Michoacán gathered together to sing and dance. The host of the event, Anaís Salazar, opened the evening by thanking all of the performers, authorities, community leaders and the artists for joining together to celebrate the 202 years of Mexico’s Independence from Spain.

The El Grito celebration went on through the night and continued all through the following weekend. 

The 42nd Annual Fiestas Patrias followed up El Grito and drew even more Orange County residents to the cultural hub of downtown Santa Ana.

Downtown Santa Ana, where street food vendors, live music and beautiful murals rich in Hispanic culture abound, is a short ten minute drive south from Chapman.

So while Latinx Heritage Month might be coming to an end in the calendar, Orange County and Chapman are never short in offering ways to celebrate Hispanic heritage pride.

Join the Chapman community in wrapping up this celebratory month by attending the Latinx Heritage Month Closing Celebration, this Friday, Oct. 14 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Cross-Cultural Center. 

And when you get a chance, check out Downtown Santa Ana, a city steeped in Hispanic culture.