LSU To Host Cinco de Mayo Celebrations

Jessica+Vera%2C+designer+of+this+years+Homecoming+shirt%2C+brought+her+skills+to+the+work+of+face+painting+to+help+celebrate+Dia+de+Los+Muertos+this+past+fall.+Now%2C+shes+set+to+paint+faces+at+tomorrows+Cinco+de+Mayo+celebration.

Andrew Young

Jessica Vera, designer of this year’s Homecoming shirt, brought her skills to the work of face painting to help celebrate Dia de Los Muertos this past fall. Now, she’s set to paint faces at tomorrow’s Cinco de Mayo celebration.

By Avi Varghese, Arts & Culture Editor

The Latino Student Union will host its annual Cinco de Mayo celebration tomorrow, May 4. The event, which will include dance performances, a variety of foods, and activities for younger children, will extend from the cafeteria out into the quad and run from 5 to 7 p.m.

In the quad, attendees will have the opportunity to try out snacks including elote, a Mexican specialty consisting of corn with toppings and spices, and counselor Ariel Rojas’s famous tacos. In the cafeteria, Los Altos students will perform folkloric dance with the help of fellow dancers from the surrounding area. Children have the option of having their face painted by Homecoming shirt designer Jessica Vera, joining a game of lotería, or putting on a blindfold to whack a piñata.

“People can do whatever they want — get their food, sit down, see the performances, do the activities,” LSU president Yesenia Gutierrez said. “We’ll probably be having a dance-off and maybe karaoke — I’m vouching for that, but we’ll see what happens.”

Yesenia stressed the fact that the event will be open to everyone. She expects to see parents and students from other schools as well as students from outside the Latino community.

“I remember from Las Posadas, [an earlier celebration,] we had students, especially a lot of freshmen, from different demographics coming to the event, and they had a lot of fun,” Yesenia said. “I feel very happy when I see that happen, because even though it is a Latino celebration I really would want to have different demographics come in and just join the fun, because not only does it educate other students about the culture, it’s just kind of like a celebration.”