By Jonah Grinkewitz

As part of Hispanic Heritage Month, Old Dominion University is celebrating the launch of a new program aimed at assisting incoming Latinx students.

The !Sigue Adelante! program will provide academic mentoring and emotional and social support to first-year Latinx students. The group will meet monthly to talk about navigating college life. Each student will also have an individual faculty or alumni mentor.

The Adelante Dinner on Oct. 15 will conclude the University's celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month with a pinning ceremony for the inaugural cohort. RSVP here.

This event is one of several planned to mark the month, which celebrates Hispanic and Latino culture on campus starting Sept. 15.

The month's events will kick off with a student activity hour on Sept. 15 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. on the South Mall in Webb University Center that will include games, giveaways, music and dance lessons.

That evening, the Hispanic Heritage Month Kickoff Dinner will take place in the Priority Club at S.B. Ballard Stadium from 6 to 8 p.m. The event will honor current Latinx students who are veterans for their contributions and service. RSVP here.

The guest speaker at the event will be Cassandra Madison, who will talk about identity and language. After being adopted from the Dominican Republic, she discovered that a coworker - whom she bonded with over their Dominican heritage - was her biological sister.

Other events celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month include:

  • Charla @ the Hub, 12:30-1:30 p.m. Sept. 19 in Mane Hub Latinx Room: Student chat with the president of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce on national Latinx heroes of their native countries. RSVP here.
  • Supporting and Celebrating Multilingual Latinx Students, 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Sept. 22 (Virtual Event): A conversation facilitated by Ann Kumm, lecturer at the English Language Center, on how faculty and advisers can support multilingual Latinx students by capitalizing on their cultural and linguistic diversity for academic success. RSVP here.
  • Roe v. Wade: What now?, 5 to 7 p.m. Sept. 28 in Hampton Newport News Room: Sponsored by the Women, Gender and Equity Center and the Office of Intercultural Relations. RSVP here.
  • Charla @ the Hub, 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Sept. 29 in Mane Hub Latinx Room: Student chat on film clips from John Leguizamo's one-man Broadway show depicting humor and heartbreak as he traces 3,000 years of Latin history to help his bullied son. RSVP here.
  • HHM Faculty Luncheon, 12:30 to 2 p.m. Oct. 3 in Hampton Newport News Room: Faculty and staff will enjoy a meal and fellowship to celebrate culture and diversity.
  • Holy Guacamole, 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Oct. 5 in 1200 Webb Center: Engage in a conversation with the interfaith & Latinx community about religious traditions within the Hispanic /Latinx culture in addition to learning how to make guacamole. RSVP here.
  • The X Factor, 5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 6 in Hampton Newport News Room: A cultural panel discussion on the use of "x" in Latinx, Filipinx and Queer Identities. RSVP here.
  • Latin Dance Moves, 6 to 7 p.m. Oct. 13 in North Cafe - Studio B: Instructor Chris Gutierrez and WEPA Dance troupe members will assist with different Latin Dance Steps for Bachata, Merengue and Salsa. RSVP here.

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