This year, added to Edison High School’s many culture clubs is Orgullo Latino, the Hispanic heritage club.
The club was created by April Godoy ‘25 and Michael Alvarez ‘25. Its aim is to “create a more prominent portrayal of Hispanic American culture, and create a space where Hispanic EHS students have a place where they feel included and celebrated,” Godoy said.
They noticed the club existed a few years ago but had been abandoned in recent years, and decided to bring it back.
With this mission in mind, Godoy said that the vibrant and popular club will host an event to create artifacts relating to Hispanic culture, such as woven bags, metal instruments, fabric dolls, metal figurines, and wall hangs. These items will then be displayed in the Municipal Building Gallery for many to appreciate, in the hopes of providing greater representation for Hispanic-Americans in Edison.
“We had our members create Pom Poms using tissue paper to represent their flags. April and I strung them together to make garland decorations,” said Alvarez. “Another time, members also created cultural artwork on canvases. Apart from that, we had some people bring in items and artwork as well to share their heritage.”
“We thought it’d be fun to get kids involved with our culture and share theirs as well,” continued Alvarez.
Orgullo Latino represents the Hispanic culture and community at Edison High School through its general members.
“I’m glad the Hispanic and Latino communities are getting some representation in our school as it’s a place with much diversity. The club allows us to learn a bit more about one another and our culture,” said Gisselle Hernandez Mendez ‘25.
Furthermore, with this project, Godoy and Alvarez hope that the club will continue after their graduation. They noted that people seem to enjoy the activities and crafts they are currently involved in for the gallery. Moreover, they hope to create a space where people feel like a community and have fun. With this, the two hope that the Municipal Gallery Event will contribute to the club’s legacy.