Somos’ El Cambio

Mi Familia and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) hosted Somos’ El Cambio in Stewart Theatre Saturday.

The event opened up with a slide show that showed the audience prominent Hispanic/Latino figures in American history that included Roberto Clemente, the first Latino player to be elected into the baseball Hall of Fame (1973), Ellen Ochoa, the first Hispanic woman in space, and Rita Moreno, the first Latino woman to win an Oscar (West Side Story).

Afterwards, emerged Bill Santiago, the host of the event. Santiago, an up and coming comedian, provided the audience with some laughs that helped lighten the mood and get the show started.

Sube Ritmo performed, a Latin dance team here on campus.

Sube Ritmo developed an eye-opening performance that riveted the audience. The next performance included women dressed in traditional Hispanic/Latino attire while doing traditional dances known to the culture.

The next segment of the show included songs in Spanish and included Latin-based instruments. Some songs were slow and jazz-like while the last song played included two members of Sube Ritmo showing off more of their dance moves.

During the intermission, Bill Santiago came out once again came out and provided the audience with more laughs. His material included excerpts from his book Excuse My Spanglish and life in the United States from the Hispanic/Latino perspective.

Fusion, a dance team here on campus, well known for their hip-hop inspired dances, added another burst of excitement for the event and another example of well-roundness that the Hispanic/Latino exhibit everywhere in the world but in particular on campus.

A fashion show followed that showcased several different attires that represented something traditional and something new for the culture.

This part of the show included three different themes; the first was traditional where the models showed off clothes that are traditional in the countries of Mexico, Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Costa Rica just to name a few.

The second theme dealt with attire worn in the workplace and the third theme featured clothes worn in the social scene. Lambda Pi Chi Sorority, Inc, a Latina sorority, performed a quick stepping routine before members of Cobo Brothers Dance Company graced the stage. Cobo Brothers Dance Company, a company that offers salsa lessons and also competes in various competitions, performed a little salsa skit that showed the audience why there among the best of the best in their field.

A segment of the show, entitled Mi Cultura that was done by Nicole Machado. The event closed with another stellar performance with the group that had brought in the show with a bang, Sube Ritmo.

To many, Somos’ El Cambio went very well. Jezzette Rivera, a senior in criminology and Political Science and president of Mi Familia, feels the event was a success and is thankful for the people who had came out and supported the event.

Ekaterina Dones, who graduated in December 2008 with a degree in civil engineering, admired the passion that was put into the event by the students to make it a success.

This feeling was shared by Abraham Dones, advisor for Mi Familia. Mr. Dones is proud of the at the magnitude of effort that the students of each organization had put into the event and is truly humbled at the experience. He also feels that after this year, the sky is the limit for Somos.