A new club centering around Hispanic/Latinx culture, La Gloria Latina club, launched this academic school year. This club holds meetings every second and fourth Friday of the month in E202 and is open to anyone. 

Amy Bustos Garcia and Chantal Velasquez Viveros serve as the presidents of the Gloria Latina Club. They organized and created the club collectively, alongside Ms. Wiedemeier and Ms. Esparza, the teacher supervisors of the club. So far they have hosted potlucks and fundraisers at lacrosse games to support their future events. 

“So far, I think that the club is going at a good pace. It’s been a learning experience for all of us and there’s still a lot more to learn and to come. Although I wish we could have achieved more this year, I’m still happy with where the club is at now,” states Bustos (‘25). 

One of the factors that inspired Amy Bustos Garcia and Chantal Velasquez Viveros was Ms. Wiedemeier’s suggestion towards a club for the Hispanic/Latinx community after the disbandment of the multicultural club. 

“We had been wanting to start La Gloria Latina since our junior year. One day we were in the library’s quiet room and we were thinking about what else we could do together to get more involved in school,” states Amy Bustos Garcia, President of La Gloria Latina Club (‘25).

The Preuss School offers many clubs for different cultures and ethnicities but La Gloria Latina is the first to be available specifically for Hispanic/Latinx students. 

“What made us want to start La Gloria Latina is that there wasn’t a club for the Hispanic/ Latinx students at Preuss. Although the Multicultural Club held multiple events celebrating the Hispanic community, we believe it began to steer away from its original purpose of bringing all cultures together,” states Velasquez (‘25). 

After they knew they wanted to create a club they started the application process. The application process to get the Gloria Latina Club approved was not very long, only about 2-3 weeks. They went through this process because they believed in the club and its goals. 

“The purpose of La Gloria Latina is to foster a safe and welcoming space for all Hispanic and Latinx students, get together, and celebrate the amazing qualities of our culture and community,” states Velasquez (‘25). 

So far, La Gloria Latina has gained over sixty students this year from various different Hispanic backgrounds. 

“I wanted to join because I am a Latina and I felt like it was nice to finally have a club that could represent Latinos in general. Rather than just a multicultural club, because there’s BSU and the Asian and Pacific Islanders club. I felt like it was finally time to have a club for Latinos/Hispanics,” stated Jayleen Ibarra (‘27).