What Hispanic Heritage Month means to HPRSA

Hispanic Heritage Month recognizes the contributions and influence of Hispanic Americans in the United States. It is a time to celebrate the incredible accomplishments, history, culture and triumphs of the American Latino community.

Founded in 2018, the University of Florida Hispanic Public Relations Student Association is the first Hispanic/Latinx student-led public relations association in the nation. Originating from our parent organization, the Hispanic Public Relations Association, we are dedicated to communications, public relations and multicultural communications. Our goal is to serve as a voice to students working in the Hispanic communications field.

“Being the first chapter in the country also comes with a lot of responsibility. We want to make sure that we offer the best opportunities to all Hispanic public relations students at UF, but we also want to expand our mission beyond Gainesville,” said Catalina Santana, HPRSA President.

Hispanic Heritage Month is so important to us because we want to make sure each of our members feel supported and empowered. They’re a part of our HPRSA community, but more importantly they’re paving the way for Hispanic Americans all over the nation. Together we embrace our culture, our language, our traditions and our successes.

“I remember when I first heard of HPRSA, I thought I was just joining a student organization to become more involved in the college. But, what I didn’t expect was to find the strong sense of unity and encouragement from all of the members,” Santana said. “I instantly felt welcomed, heard and understood. Through HPRSA we are creating long-lasting relationships that go beyond our time at UF. We know we will be there for each other through our professional careers, and that’s what makes HPRSA special.”

We want to bring awareness to our community and showcase what it means to be Latino. Although we may come from different countries and have different experiences, we’re still here for one another, cheering each other on and embracing our heritage together.

HPRSA isn’t just an organization. We are a familia.

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Written by Vanessa Mendiola Chiok, Public Relations Director of HPRSA