To celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month, Her Campus decided to sit down with OLAS member Alexandra Isabelle Peralta-Rapale! Check out this week’s Campus Celebrity to learn what she had to say about Hispanic culture on campus and in her own life. And make sure to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month by joining OLAS at one of the upcoming events this month, including a Latin dance night in The Barn and a fiesta in downtown Winston-Salem!
Tell me more about your involvement with OLAS!
I work as the Public Relations Chair, which means I oversee all the social media aspects of the organization, including the creation and distribution of flyers and any other form of advertisement. I also help our President, Cazandra Rebollar, in reaching out to other organizations on campus, planning OLAS events, and working to integrate OLAS and its members into the Wake Forest Community.
Can you tell me more about what OLAS stands for as an organization?
OLAS stands for the Organization of Latin-American Students. For me, it works as a community in which all the students, whether they are Hispanic or not, just enjoy the same culture and each other’s company. We try to reach out to people who are Hispanic and also who aren’t Hispanic but just love the Hispanic culture. At the same time, the entire organization works together to educate the Wake Forest community on the Hispanic culture. The main thing is that we represent more than one country, so our cultures vary within the overall Hispanic community.
Just for clarification, what’s the difference between being Latino and being Hispanic?
Being Hispanic includes anyone who is Spanish speaking, including those from Spain. Latino focuses primarily on those from Latin America, including Brazil but not Spain. So I guess you would say that we are the Organization of Latino and Hispanic Students because we welcome everyone!
What are some events you guys host throughout the semester?
Well the event we are focusing on right now is National Hispanic Heritage Month, which is a period from September 15 to October 15. To kick off the month, we brought Matt de la Peña, a Hispanic author, to speak on campus. Today we are having a table at the World Cultural Festival that displays the natural world wonders of Hispanic countries. We are also participating in a fiesta in downtown Winston-Salem on September 26, which will have food trucks, live music, a parade, and much more. We have a Latin dance night in The Barn coming up, where we will be teaching Bachata and Salsa and eating Latin cuisine. To end Hispanic Heritage Month, we will be bringing Dolores Huerta to campus – she’s a Hispanic activist and the co-founder of the National Farm Workers Association. And this is all just for Hispanic Heritage Month! We have a ton of other events throughout the year.
What is your favorite part about the Hispanic culture?
My favorite part, besides the loving people, is the food! Having parents from different Hispanic cultures – my father being from Argentina and my mother being from Puerto Rico – I am able to put a piece of asado de tira next to some mofongo or tostones!
How can students get more involved with OLAS on campus?
Just come to any one of our meetings; they are every other week on Thursdays at 7 PM in Benson 409! You can also contact me or anyone else on the executive board, or reach out to us through the OLAS Facebook page. My email is peraai13@wfu.edu. Feel free to email me anytime!