On Friday, October 30th, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., the Latino Student Union (LSU) is hosting its annual Día de Los Muertos celebration in the school’s cafeteria. Día de Los Muertos is a traditional celebration of the dead, common among Latin countries and typically celebrated in late October or early November. The main purpose of the Día de Los Muertos celebration is to integrate these Latin traditions into the Los Altos community.

Since its founding, LSU has become a place to come together and raise awareness for the Latino culture in the hopes of creating a more diverse community on campus. The club celebrates the traditional Latin holidays and festivities, hosting events on campus that are open for all student body members and their families to join them.

Apart from the celebration of its unique culture, LSU is committed to making individual change within their club members.

“[There are] a lot of stereotypes that people have about Latinos and my goal is to get those out of the way to show people that… Latinos are here and we’re here to make a difference,” LSU president Montserrat Sanchez said.

One way the club aims to achieve this goal is to encourage its club members to challenge themselves academically and immerse themselves in educational environments they might not have decided to join on their own.

“One of the goals we set is to try and get more Latinos involved in AP and honors classes to get more diversity going, so I expect there to be a change in what people strive for and to set higher goals for themselves,” Montserrat said.

In addition to member outreach, the club also takes part in Latinos Unidos Caminando Hacia Adelante (LUCHA) meetings that benefit the parents of first generation students at the school from all backgrounds. These meetings educate parents on the graduation requirements their students are expected to meet during their high school careers, focusing on how parents can help their students leading up to their graduation from the school.

“[LSU is] not only for Latinos, it’s for people [who] want to make a change in their community or school… [and] it’s a great way to just feel like you’re part of something and to just feel in a comfortable environment,” Montserrat said.