Club Spotlight: Afro-Latinx Exonian Society & La Alianza Latina

By ISABEL EVANS, ERIN HAN, and ADELLE PITTS

If you were to walk through the hallways of EPAC’s second floor on a Friday night, you would hear music and conversation streaming out from one room in particular. The source? Clubroom B: the home base of the Afro-Latinx Exonian Society (ALES) and La Alianza Latina (LAL) on campus.

A large part of what AES and LAL aim to do is to create a sense of family and community among club members. They host activities such as cooking and baking sessions, and meetings to celebrate holidays, to give students of Hispanic and Black heritage a place to express their culture. 

Prep Dani Méndez said, “In LAL, we always start with introductions at the beginning of each meeting,” she said. “When you’re introducing yourself, you say your name, your pronouns, where you’re from, and then your spice or your flavor. My spice would be Mexican because that’s where I’m from. It’s really important for us to do this because although we all know each other, every once in a while, we’ll have a new person that comes and joins our family.” 

Club members describe the environment of ALES and LAL as relaxed and welcoming—and, most importantly, a space where they can have fun and belong. Club meetings include a wide variety of activities. 

Upper Laura Saldarriaga described typical activities during LAL meetings. “We watch movies, play games, we cook and bake, we’ve eaten, and sometimes we do dances. I think part of it is really just celebrating our identity and being there for each other and having that sense of community.”

Méndez added, “We have a lot of really fun, random events. When our club advisor Mr. Jorgge had his birthday, we made him tres leches cake, which is really popular within Hispanic culture.”

Lower Collin Moore recalled one of his favorite moments from this year. “The alumni came back for the ALES 55th reunion event, and we got to have brunch with them, see how the club first started, and hear from people who have been here generations before us. At that event, we got Dave’s Hot Chicken the first night, and it was overall a good community event where we got to get advice from the alumni and connect with them.” 

Each new group of students brings a different energy to the meetings, and the clubs are diverse and ever-changing.

Club advisor and Associate Director of Admissions Nahin Jorgge said, “We have a blast with our fun events throughout the year. Our end-of-year piñata celebration dinner is always a highlight, filled with laughter and joy. And who can forget Latin Karaoke Night, a night of music and fun that always leaves us with great memories!”

Saldarriaga mentioned LAL’s Día de los Muertos celebration in the late fall. “We make booths advertising all the countries represented in LAL, which is always a wonderful event.” When celebrating any holidays, the club puts in all the effort it can, making sure all cultures and celebrations are highlighted, giving each member a sense of belonging.

“One time I showed up to ALES, and we had a whole Family Feud going on,” Méndez said. “There was someone with a belly like Steve Harvey and wearing a mustache, and we had buzzers and the whole setup. It’s a really good club to be at, and it’s so hype too. It’s just got such good energy, especially on a Friday night.”

But not every meeting is all fun and games. Saldarriaga said, “We often have discussions about our identity, particularly the various ways that each of our members experiences being Latinx.”

Moore said, “We’re not in an environment where it’s just people who share one or two identities with the same people. Having those conversations, it grounds you in who you are, especially in these spaces where your identity may not dominate. It’s eye-opening. And it’s good to see others’ perspectives; how their experience has been with their identity and how we have an overlap in sharing some of those same experiences. It’s important that we have those conversations. People are ready to open up because maybe they’ve been holding on to those experiences and maybe they’re needing someone to talk to about it. ALES is always a good environment to be able to be vulnerable or share those experiences and have those deep conversations.” 

Moore emphasized, “It’s like my home away from home here and having that club every week, it’s something I’m always looking forward to.” This club gives students support and a sense of family by being surrounded by their culture.

Méndez agreed. “I wasn’t really sure if I was going to make friends, but the second I walked into those clubs, it was the most welcomed I felt. Especially in prep fall, when I didn’t really know where I was meant to be or what I was meant to be doing.”

“I’ve been involved in LAL and ALES ever since I was a prep. LAL was actually the first club that I joined, and I remember being apprehensive about joining and not knowing what to expect,” Rosen added. “But from the very first meeting I went to, I felt like I had found a community. I remember Juliette, one of the co-heads at the time, welcomed me and really made me feel like I belonged. Now, I try to do the same within LAL and ALES.”

Every Thursday and Friday night, students show up to LAL and ALES, excited to celebrate their culture and other diverse students. In the large umbrella of Black and Hispanic students there are countless unique cultures to be celebrated, and by coming to Club Room B, they are able to feel all of their cultures voiced and celebrated. These clubs give students a unique sense of belonging at the Academy, and every last participant is grateful for the community found there.

“La Alianza Latina (LAL) has been around since the 90s,” Jorgge said. “Our main goal is to connect students from the spectrum of Latinx identities and empower students to learn and educate others about issues affecting the Latinx community, both on and off campus.”

“I enjoy seeing students develop self-confidence and grow their connections on campus,” he continued. “Seeing students laugh and enjoy their time together is extremely important. I have enjoyed learning that students continue their relationships with LAL graduates at colleges. LAL is a large extended family of Latinx Exonians. We encourage all students who identify, no matter how little or how much, to attend meetings and events. We have great fun together; our door is always open!”