From mid-September to mid-October, various student groups and initiatives at Missouri S&T will offer educational opportunities to the community about Hispanic cultures and identities.

Online dance lessons, a panel discussion and a virtual bingo night are some of the events coming up through Missouri S&T. The events will coincide with Hispanic Heritage Month, observed in the U.S. Sept. 15-Oct. 15.

“During this time, we celebrate and amplify voices of those who identify as Hispanic so that we can learn more about them and become more effective allies to that community,” says Anitra Rivera, director of student diversity initiatives (SDI) at S&T. “Each Hispanic country celebrates and honors their culture in a different way. Throughout the month, the campus will host events to either educate the campus community about Hispanic heritage or provide spaces where we all get to celebrate and enjoy these different cultures.”

The public is invited to the following events that occur during the month-long celebration. Learn more about the S&T Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) through their Instagram page at www.instagram.com/shpe_sandt/.

— Virtual Loteria (Bingo) Night: 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15, on Zoom at umsystem.zoom.us/j/95717602449.

— SHPE Discussion Night “Let’s Taco ‘Bout It”: 5-7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24, on Zoom.

— Zoom discussion on Hispanic cultures: 5-6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 29, on Zoom. The Zoom meeting ID is 947 6813 7047 and the passcode is HHM. Dr. Jorge Porcel, professor of Spanish at S&T, will host the event.

— A Netflix watch party for “Street Food: Latin America.” Watch Season 1, Episode 6 “La Paz, Bolivia” 6-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 30, and discuss it on Zoom.

— Virtual Latin Dance Night: 7-9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9, on Zoom. Students will host a night of dance lessons.

SDI is also offering Missouri S&T students, faculty and staff several training opportunities during the month. Facilitated allyship discussions are available in 30-minute sessions that can help participants understand allyship as a concept and how to apply it in their lived experiences. A Diversity 101 training session can serve as a primer to diversity and inclusion concepts. The presentation includes basic definitions of important terminology, an overview of inclusion-related concepts and case study practice. Find more information about Missouri S&T student diversity initiatives at sdi.mst.edu.

Additional events may be announced throughout the month. For more information, visit the SHPE Instagram at instagram.com/shpe_sandt.

About Missouri University of Science and Technology

Founded in 1870 as the University of Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy, Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is a STEM-focused research university of more than 8,000 students and part of the four-campus University of Missouri System. Located in Rolla, Missouri S&T offers 99 different degree programs in 40 areas of study, including engineering, the sciences, business and information technology, education, the humanities, and the liberal arts. Missouri S&T is known globally and is highly ranked for providing a high return on tuition investment, exceptional career opportunities for graduates, and an emphasis on applied, hands-on learning through student design teams and cooperative education and internship opportunities. For more information about Missouri S&T, visit www.mst.edu.