With a translator in her hand, struggling to find her classes, Leidy Arista needed saving. Leaving her family from Florida to travel to college in Maryland, she found it hard to settle at Stevenson. 

Luckily for Arista, the Organization of Latino American Students (OLAS) welcomed her with open arms. When Arista met members of OLAS, they were the first people on campus to speak Spanish with Leidy.  

That is impact. That is culture, Latino culture. 

“I was so overwhelmed because I was so far from home, and I finally found a place where it was okay if I didn’t speak English. I could just be myself. I loved that,” Arista said. 

OLAS has been a group for 10 years at Stevenson, but representation beyond the club is lacking. The question is: Why is there not enough representation of Latino students? 

According to (Niche) the demographic of Latino students at Stevenson is only 10%. While non-Latino White students make up about 47%, and Black students about 31%. The overall percentage of Latino students who attend college in the United States is 21.46%. This data was collected from the Education Data Initiative. 

OLAS President Jasmine Amaya said while the data is not surprising, the need for OLAS is strong. Jasmine Amaya is currently serving her first year as president of the club and leads the members with strong mentorship. She is a third-year student with a major in Psychology and a minor in Counseling and Human Services.  

“There’s always going to be a lack of something anywhere you go. That’s why groups like OLAS are important—to create safe spaces,” Amaya said. 

When immigrants come to the United States, many don’t go to college, they work instead. Latinos in college see that education is a privilege and that we have opportunities here. What better way to showcase that than with OLAS. How can Latinos in universities be an example to other Latinos who dream of being scholars? Ask Lexi Avila. 

“Latinos have many cultures, colors, and voices. I hope the school continues to give us space to show that we belong and that our voices matter.” Avila stated. She is the vice president of the club. Jasmine and Lexi have been a part of the club since their freshman year. 

With dreams and plans to grow the club to a new level, it starts within the board. This year the club has decided to add new members. OLAS also promoted old members to a more important role in taking OLAS to greater heights at Stevenson. 

Jasmine Amaya understands the pressure of being the club’s president. There are students and board members constantly asking questions. Being president makes it seem like she knows all the answers to those questions.  

She believes in her amazing board. Knowing that being president is a learning process navigating to success. “The biggest pressure is knowing that if something goes wrong, I have to handle it quickly and responsibly.” Jasmine added.  

Stephanie Guevera and Kevin Chan are taking a big role for their first year on the board. Stephanie is the new SGA senator. As for Kevin, he has taken responsibility for being the treasurer. Diana Plata has continued her role as Secretary. 

Leidy Arista and Lizeth Martinez are event directors. The students plan out multiple events throughout the year. The goal is for the club to have a successful year giving both Latin students and others a memorable time at the events. OLAS seeks community with everyone at Stevenson.  

Leidy is a perfect example for all students; college can be overwhelming. Finding a group filled with culture helps students settle into their life at school. 

Noche Buena is a huge event for OLAS. It happens once a year around December. Formal attire, Music, food, dance performances, everything you want all in one place. An opportunity for students across campus to experience how Latin communities celebrate. Before it became a huge event for everyone, it started off as a smaller gathering.  

President Amaya states, “it began in the apartment lot, and it was similar to like a field day where they would have a DJ and things like that, but it wasn’t formal. There was no place to sit down, and it was kind of just like, go and dance.” 

Two members have a key role in posting and promoting events. Raquel Argueta and Corina Alvarez are the clubs’ marketing chairs. Their job is to promote events through Instagram, invite students to participate in activities, and bring awareness to the club. 

 

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OLAS at Stevenson University (@stevensonolas) • Instagram photos and videos

“For me, it’s important to have groups like this on campus so I feel included within the university.” Raquel also added, “I also really enjoy that we don’t just focus on ourselves—we target other students too, so we can share our culture with them.” 

One of OLAS’ biggest challenges is awareness. Some students don’t know if clubs exist or feel hesitant to join. Raquel said, “We do our best with flyers, social media, and tabling, but students also have to take that first step.”  

Whether you’re American, Latino, African, Asian, any sort of race and culture is welcomed at OLAS. Although there is only 10% of Latino students enrolled at Stevenson University this is the perfect time to glue together –to create a strong pack, Latinos love to have each other’s back. 

 Each year in the United States, the number of enrolled Latin American students increases. If they choose to enroll here at Stevenson, they NEED to check out OLAS. Remember what Jasmine Amaya said. 

“We can’t change enrollment numbers, but we can make students feel welcome”.