MAC has had a history of celebrating cultures on campus, and Hispanic Heritage Month is no exception. The United States marks the calendar from September 15 to October 15 as the month in which Hispanic cultures can step up to the podium and have their voices clearly heard.

Christina Johns, the Hispanic representative of MAC, thinks this is a time to rejoice and celebrate these cultures, even if students didn’t get to grow up in them.

“It’s just a reminder that this month is just special for me to remind myself that I am—how do I put it—I’m brown twenty-four-seven, seven days a week,” Johns said. “And nobody can take that away from me, and I gotta remember that.”

MAC kicked off HHM on September 26 in Hardy basement with a yearly traditional event: the Guac-off. Five teams competed against each other as they got handsy with ingredients provided. SAB, SGA, the Friesen Center, ISC and a DMA-led group did their best as they chopped, mixed, and shed some tears. The judges of the event were Justin Coleman, vice president for enrollment management and marketing, HU president Dr. Sherilyn Emberton, Daniel Solms, and Adrianna McNab tasted different guacamole recipes, and ISC took the golden avocado home and along with a $50 Walmart gift card.

With more events coming up, Johns invites people to the Fiesta, an event on October 11 in Hardy Basement that will feature salsa dancing, food, and fun music. This year MAC added an entirely new event, Día de Los Muertos, on November 1.

“For me specifically,” Johns said, “it is a time to bring everybody together, not just only to celebrate and remember the ones that we lost but to remember the ones that are still here in this earth that we can be home with right now.”

Johns is passionate about conveying the message that “difference” doesn’t mean “bad.” She wants students on campus to participate in MAC events and leave pre-preconceived ideas behind—to come with careless abandon.

These events give a stage to different cultures that are represented by HU students. Johns wants to remind the campus that America is a mixing pot culture and that despite what the news and media might be saying, these cultures are beautiful, and sometimes prejudices smudge those facts.

“One culture is not the right culture,” Johns said. “Every culture is the right culture.”