Hispanos Unidos: A Club Profile

Hispanos Unidos directly translates to “Hispanics united,” a fitting name for the official Hispanic club here at Daytona State College. Students Sofia Avalo, Maria Fernanda Castillo Enriquez, Marco Islas, Griselda Guevara, and Miguel Ruiz kindly shared their stories with the In Motion staff, and we’d like to share them with you.

Sofia Avalo

By Marina Meretz

Sofia Avalo grew up in Miami, fully immersed in her Hispanic culture. Being Cuban and Argentinean, she felt very connected to her community, having a sense of belonging that many children of immigrants do not have when they live in primarily white European neighborhoods.

But for Avalo, her culture truly shaped her upbringing. She participated in Hispanic traditions like Noche Buena, a Christmas celebration that takes place the night before Christmas. She also grew up eating typical Cuban dishes like rice, beans and pork roast.

“Whether you were born here or born in Cuba, you are still Cuban!” explains Avalo, “It’s in your blood, so it is you.” Fortunately, she does not feel alienated from her heritage, regardless of never having visited Cuba. Instead, Avalo explains that the exposure to so many Hispanic cultures growing up allowed her to be more open-minded than many of her peers.

After completing high-school and one semester at Miami-Dade, Avalo decided to move with her family to attend Daytona State College. Initially, Avalo was worried that moving would strip her of her sense of community. However, she was happy to find so many other Hispanics who shared her pride in their culture.

Avalo is a Quanta student, and she loves the close sense of community in that program as well.  After each semester, her relationship with school, her professors and her peers have improved. 

“I realized that there was a good amount of Hispanic population in the area” explains Avalo, “but there was no safe space, no haven for us to come together and celebrate our differences and our similarities.” So, in Spring of 2023, Sophia founded the Hispanos Unidos club (H.U.).

Initial members were other Hispanic Quanta students, but now there is a total of fifty members in the club with twenty consistently attending meetings. Over the past three semesters, the club has organized many community events like clothing drives and gardening events for Hope Place, a homeless emergency shelter in the area.

In a typical meeting, members share their experiences, and play games together as community bonding activities. Those who were once just acquaintances have now become best of friends because of H.U.

“My first semester here was me going to class and me going home,” explains Avalo. “Now, I want to stay and talk to my friends, and I am so excited for this upcoming meeting this week.” The sense of community and belonging H.U. offers for all its members has allowed the shared experience of club members at DSC to improve.

Maria Fernanda Castillo Enriquez

By Lucas Macdowall

Meet Maria Fernanda Castillo Enriquez, who goes by Fernanda. She’s a unique student here at DSC who plays a critical role in Hispanos Unidos. 

Originally from Mazatenango Suchitepéquez, a town in the south of Guatemala, Fernanda sought a new beginning with a chance to create her own future here in America. She had faced discrimination in Guatemala due to economic differences between her and her peers but used this to her advantage. This discrimination occurred in her dance school in what she describes to be an “affluent area in Guatemala City.” However, it motivated her to keep pushing forward and to become the best version of herself. 

With a rather hot political climate at her time of voyage to the United States, Fernanda was nervous about how she would be viewed, being an immigrant to the country. However, after a long legal process getting the right forms in order, she was finally able to come to America in 2018, settling with her American family in Ormond Beach. A nervous Fernanda felt welcomed into the US with open arms and was relieved to find helping hands in every direction she went. 

Between the time of her arrival and the time she enrolled at DSC, Fernanda spent those 4 years almost exclusively dancing. She even got the opportunity to be invited to Chicago in 2019 for dancing, at A&A Ballet. After returning to Florida in early 2020, Fernanda was forced to go back home to Guatemala in December 2020 due to Covid.

Issues surrounding her Visa in 2021 advised Fernanda to not attempt to travel to the US until it could get sorted out. Eventually the legalities behind it got figured out and allowed her to return to Florida to be reunited with her American family in March 2022. Fernanda was fortunate enough to receive her student Visa in June 2022 and applied to DSC for that upcoming fall. 

Currently working towards a degree in Social Policy with a minor in English, Fernanda also has a plate full of extracurriculars, such as working at the Writing Center, being a part of the Honors program, volunteering at the shelter, etc. One that has been very impactful is Hispanos Unidos.  

Fernanda became a founder member after the club was founded in 2022 by current club president, Sofia. Their aim was to “create a club where people from Latin American backgrounds could come together and feel welcomed”, Fernanda states. 

Although geared towards the acknowledgment of Latin American cultures, Hispanos Unidos welcomes anyone who has any interest in the club, may want to learn more about it, or is just looking for their own niche in their college career. 

Fernanda has described the club as a “support system” for not just herself but for all of the members involved. The club operates off a democratic system in which officers are voted in and said officers are given responsibilities such as coming up with ideas to expand the club, topics of interaction, representation of non-officer members, etc. The club aims to have as comfortable an environment as possible to make Hispanos Unidos feel safe for anyone, regardless of cultural background. 

Now at 24 years old and in her second year at DSC, Fernanda serves as the vice president for Hispanos Unidos and is always exploring and networking for new options to expand the club, and to have as much student outreach as possible.

Marco Islas

By Teia Williams

Marco Islas is a first generation Mexican American Citizen. In 1999, Islas’s parents and siblings immigrated to America. His sister was three years old and his brother was one at the time. He was born in 2003 on American soil. 

 “I’m the first- in actually my whole bloodline honestly- to be getting anything higher than a high school diploma,” Marco Islas explains.

Islas and his siblings were all brought up in the same American atmosphere and all graduated with their high school diplomas. The difference with Islas’s sibling’s upbringing compared to his is that they are not American citizens, so they had applied for DACA- Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. 

DACA allows “DREAMers”, undocumented students in the U.S., to have items such as a license, Social Security card, and a work permit. DREAMers have to reapply for DACA every two years in order to keep those cards and permits. Without reapplying they would legally be not allowed to work in the United States 

“It was really inspiring that my siblings did that. They are honestly why I am so motivated to get my degree,” Islas continues talking about the work ethic of his siblings and how it impacted him, “They got jobs and made an effort, if they can do it, not being a citizen, without the opportunities that I have, there is no reason I shouldn’t.”

Islas’s educational opportunities are unlimited compared to his siblings and others who aren’t citizens. His mother was always on him to do good in school which improved his desire to succeed. “In elementary school I did my work because I had to, in middle school I did it for my mom, in high school I did it for myself.” 

His father has a saying that has stuck with him, “a pencil will always be lighter than a shovel.” Inferring that he’ll go farther with an education than going straight into the work force.  

Now, Islas is a Daytona State College student working towards his degree in computer science, which he plans on pursuing after college. He plans to save money to help provide for his family and help them improve their economic standing. 

When he first attended college, Islas didn’t interact with other students and focused on school. This semester he decided he wanted to change that. He met Sofia- the president of H.U.- and he had mentioned wanting to join a club. She went on to explain she had made her own Hispanic club and that’s when he made the decision to join. 

“I’ve met so much people, learned a lot about other Hispanic Heritage and just kind of been making new friends along the way,” Islas voices. 

Marco Islas has worked hard to get where he is today using the drive of his family’s position. He continues to learn more about other’s stories through the club and learn even more about what opportunities one has as an American citizen. 

Griselda Guevara

By Landen Looker

Griselda Guevara, a member of the Hispanos Unidos club, embodies a truly inspiring narrative. Known as Grace, she is a dedicated mother of five and a standout student at Daytona State College. Born and raised in the small, rural town of La Tigra, Mexico, for the first nine years of her life, Grace yearned for a more fulfilling existence. In 1998, alongside her uncle, she made the journey to North Carolina to start a new life in America.

Upon arrival, Grace, then a child, was unaware of her lack of legal status in the country. “I didn’t have a clue about the legal status or anything, I went to school like a normal kid,” she recalls. “When I got to high school, that’s when it kind of hit me that I didn’t have a social or any status here, because I wasn’t born here.” Initially, her only option was to labor in the fields harvesting crops. Her situation changed with the implementation of DACA in 2012 under the Obama administration, providing protection from deportation and granting work permits to immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children.

Receiving DACA was crucial to Grace’s future, allowing her motivation to continue shining. Never losing sight of working towards a more fulfilling future, Grace enrolled at Daytona State College. “I was struggling because, I mean, I do have five kids. I waited for them to get a little bit older so I could start college.” Her eldest son is also a student at Daytona State College. Her other children are all public-school students as well. 

As DACA recipients are ineligible for financial aid, Grace is financing her education out of pocket, showing her unwavering commitment to her academic ambitions. Her exceptional performance has earned her a place in the Quanta-Honors program at Daytona State College, a testament of her dedication to academic excellence. 

“For me, it’s like I don’t belong here, and I don’t belong there. I am stuck in the middle.” Feeling caught between two worlds, Grace finds solace and support in the Hispanos Unidos organization, which helps bridge the gap for Hispanic students like her. Also, she is an active member of the Tech Club at Daytona State College, aspiring to major in Computer Science. Her interest in technology was sparked by her love for anime, which she discovered during her childhood in Mexico.

Despite the challenges and restrictions imposed by her DACA status, Grace remains steadfast in her pursuit of education and success. From humble beginnings in a “palm-tree-roofed shack” to emerging as a standout student in the field of computer science, Grace’s journey is one of resilience and determination, paving the way for a legacy of achievement.

Miguel Ruiz

By Isabel Kraby

After growing up in Venezuela for around the first 15 years of his life, Hispanos Unidos member Miguel Ruiz sought asylum in America due to the economic struggles and food insecurity his family faced. The lack of basic necessities such as water, gas and stable electricity was constant, on top of dangers outside the home, where burglary was prolific and an unavoidable part of Miguel’s life. 

“The problem was, I did not see a future,” Miguel says. Fortunately, his father’s side of the family resided in the United States. While many might have to build their new lives from the ground up, Miguel found much needed comfort in his family when he made the journey north. 

Life in America provided a quality of living that opened Miguel’s eyes to the opportunities that awaited him in his new home. Economically, Venezuela faced rapid inflation on a regular basis, and the already limited items on the shopping list would diminish week by week. Here, his family could “have a whole cart” at the grocery store. Many Americans are weary of our own inflation, but in contrast to Venezuela’s economic situation, we have much to be grateful for.

Another dramatic difference Miguel’s new life brought was safety. Back in Venezuela, he experienced crime firsthand on numerous accounts, including a motorbike theft. But often times, police intervention was limited, slow or nonexistent. In his five years living in America, Miguel has noticed a drastic change in law enforcement that has made him feel more cared for and protected in his new home. “The cops here do their job,” he says, “and they want to make sure everything is fine.”

Though uneasy about the major transition to a new country, Miguel was able to find success in balancing his Venezuelan culture with his new one. He was able to carry over traditions such as cooking and Sunday dinners while having the support from his family he needed to adapt to the American way of living. Miguel was even able to connect with many Venezuelans from his home state right in Orlando, as part of a traditional procession that entailed a handful of men and women carrying a large statue of the Virgin Mary. This event was important to Miguel in his upbringing, and being able to connect with his fellow Venezuelans helped him to continue engaging in his culture. He even was able to catch up with some of his old neighbors.

In Miguel’s academic life here in the States, Hispanos Unidos has made all the difference in helping him feel right at home. Before he was introduced to the organization, Miguel’s routine consisted of school and homework. But after discovering his new family at Club Rush last semester, he was able to break out of his shell and make the most of his college experience.

“I have more friends, I’m getting more connections and meeting more people that like the same stuff I like,” he says. Before joining the organization, Miguel was fearful of this new college environment and thought he might struggle to fit in. Hispanos Unidos “opened a door” for Miguel and not only allowed him to feel more comfortable at Daytona State but pushed him to be a better student as well. For him and many other members of the club, Hispanos Unidos is a home away from home. 

H.U. is always accepting new members and they meet in building 150, room 405 every Thursday at 3pm. Any student is welcome to join this safe space. Contact the following emails if interested.
sofia_avalo@daytonastate.edu (club president) 
maria_castillo_enriquez@daytonastate.edu (club vice-president) 
frank.gunshanan@daytonastate.edu (club advisor)