Staying connected with your culture is often a challenge, especially when there is a lack of people around you who share that culture. The Latinx Quest club addresses this challenge head-on, serving as a place to share and celebrate Latinx culture and to keep connections with the culture alive.
“We don’t always necessarily hang out with or surround ourselves with or are involved in activities with a lot of people who share our culture and heritage,” said club sponsor Nicole Sanchez. “This is a way for us to come together and celebrate each other.”
There isn’t necessarily a strict structure to the club. Meetings are biweekly, and each meeting is a different experience in learning about and celebrating Latinx culture.
“We hang out, we do arts, we do crafts, we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, and there are different things with different holidays from other countries, so we do that,” explained Sanchez.
The Quest Club has gone all out for Hispanic Heritage Month, with events throughout ETHS. The club has given out snow cones in the hub, decorated the Chromezone, passed out churros, played Mexican games during lunch, and more. All of this is done to shed light on Hispanic culture
Latinx Quest Club has made an impact outside of ETHS as well. In recent years, volunteer work has become a priority for the club. In just this month, Latinx Quest is working with Northwestern, District 65, and a local daycare center.
“I told the kids, if we go to events and support this way or that way, you can get service hours, and we can get out in the community more,” mentioned Sanchez. “I’d like to build on the community service aspect a lot more.”
Recently, with the Trump administration’s increased deportation efforts in the Chicago area, the Latinx Quest Club has had to have some tough conversations. The club has always been a place for open discussion, and many have used it to share some of their own concerns.
“Towards the end of the year, before things got a lot worse than they are right now, we had kind of an open discussion if anyone you know had any worries, or if there was anything going on at home,” stated Sanchez. “Some people have expressed that their parents are worried, or that some family members are worried, but it’s always an open space to talk.”
Even with the challenges the community is facing, Hispanic culture will always be prevalent in America. Evanston’s Latino community is a pivotal part of what makes Evanston the place it is, and at ETHS, the Latinx Quest Club is here to highlight and celebrate the culture.
