Uniquely United

Club leaders bond together in their experiences with building community.

Q: Why do you think it’s important to have your specific community on campus?

Hulissa Aguilar - “Hispanics make up the majority of the students here at Arroyo, and I think our group isn’t talked about enough either, although we are the majority. So just to kinda have that safe space for people to go to, and I think our club and our main purpose is to help people learn more about their culture, since a lot of us don’t have those outlets at home. Also to have that sense of community with people that are similar to you, and to find yourself too.”

Lisa Kamau - “Black students make up a big population of this school as well, so having somewhere where we can all come together and understand each other on a cultural basis, and give each other the space to connect with each other, with people that you relate to the most is important. The place where you feel safe and comfortable is important, so I hope to create that in BSU.”

Kel Alarcon-Cruz - “I definitely feel like it’s important to have this club, because I want students to have a safe place to know that they belong. Because you know, sometimes at home they aren’t really accepted for who they are, for something they cannot control. So I want them to know whenever they come to school, there’s always going to be a place for them to feel safe and have a good outlet.” Nicho Sunardi - “This club is mainly a place to show appreciation for culture and to let students at Arroyo know if they need a spot, they can come to our club. But at the same time, I really want to emphasize that it isn’t just for Asian students, and that a big part of it is education and teaching everyone about different cultures in general.”

Q: Have you felt supported by school administration?

LK - “Some of our administrators are of African American and Black descent so having kind of that there kind of helps with our club at least, so I do feel supported in my club.”

NS - “I feel like at school, the teachers support me, or support my clubs, and what I do for the different clubs. As far as admin, I had so much trouble getting my clubs off the ground. I had to meet for so many different clubs about so many different things. I don’t know if it’s necessarily because of the amount that i’m trying to do, which isn’t a lot in general. It honestly feels like I’m not being supported at all by admin. And I know that Jrod, especially her, she’s trying and has a lot on her plate and I know that she can’t cater to me specifically for my clubs. In general, I feel like I’ve been shut down so many times whenever I try to do anything. Which sucks, and its hard to keep going.”

HA - “I feel very supported, and we have two amazing advisors, so I love them, and they’ve helped us so much. Especially because they’re both Latino. We’ve also had some good feedback from teachers, especially after our event... But those forms are way too complicated, especially for fundraisers. And also, they’ve never properly explained to us how we get our funds and how we put orders through.”

KA -“I do feel pretty supported, just for me and the club, because obviously I don’t know whats going on with every other student that is a part of my club, there could be something else going on that they’re not telling me or making it known. Especially having a teacher [advisor] that is LGBT, that made it ten times better. Sometimes I’d always feel awkward with my other advisor even though she was so nice, she was nothing but wonderful, I always felt like it was just weird. I was just like, ‘ugh maybe it would be better if there was an LGBT teacher,’ but it’s okay, our advisor is now LGBT, so I feel like that’s nice.”

Q: What are you most proud of about your club?

HA -“I’m proud of how we’ve really started up again, because I remember during COVID, we only had one meeting the whole year, maybe two max. So definitely getting the school more involved. And I feel like a lot of people know about our club now, which is good. I think we’re kind of setting a good platform for the future, and I want to continue to have it. I guess really just showing that there’s a lot of Latinos here, a majority, and we’re gonna continue to share our culture. And also to get involved, since I don’t feel like we’re really shown in leadership roles here or taken seriously.”

LK - “I’m proud of how long we’ve had our club, ‘cause I was told by one of our advisors the other day that her daughter who went here a couple years ago, she was leading BSU. So out of the legacy we’ve held, I hope to continue to raise awareness the year that I’m president and keep that going. I’m also proud of how we celebrate the people who are in our club.”

KA - “I’m just glad to be a part of it. I’m proud of all the acceptance in the club, and the community part of it. I feel like it’s really important to feel accepted at school. “

NS - “I’d say I’m most proud of during our freshman year, when we had a really big Lunar New Year festival on campus, and we sold food. I feel like sometimes cultural clubs in general are not taken seriously, so I’d say I’m proud of that. Being able to get that event off the ground, and jumping through all the hoops we have to go through. And this year, I know I’ll be jumping through hoops.”

Senior Lisa Kamau

President of BSU

Senior Nicho Sunardi

President of Arroyo Asian Alliance

Senior Kel Alarcon-Cruz

President of GSA

Junior Hulissa Aguilar President of Latinos Unidos