You are invited to gather at the fall 2023 Belonging Plaza from 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 29 on the north patio of the Rhatigan Student Center for a presentation by student members of the WSU Hispanic American Leadership Organization (HALO). Light refreshments will be served, and Kariana Massingill, volunteer coordinator of HALO, will share remarks at 1:30 p.m.
Researched and assembled by student members of HALO, Belonging Plaza will honor seven notable Latine alumni, faculty, staff and community members:
- Elizabeth Chacón, first Hispanic graduate of the University of Wichita (1932).
- Bobby Argumendo, aerospace engineering graduate (1957) and first Hispanic player in Shocker basketball history.
- Eli Romero, first football player of Hispanic descent to play for the Shockers.
- Gene and Yolanda Cemerena established the Shockers Adelante Scholars, an initiative to support minority students with high financial need.
- Sara Mata, executive director of the Hispanic Serving Institution.
- Ana Lazarin, serves as director of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives for the College of Engineering.
This program was organized by students from HALO with support from the Office of Diversity & Inclusion, the Ulrich Museum of Art, University Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives, and the Office of Hispanic Initiatives.
Belonging Plaza is a mobile monument and pop-up commemorative tool, created by the Office of Strategic Communications in collaboration with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. The plaza is designed to move to different locations on campus, allowing student and community groups to highlight a variety of historically underrepresented or marginalized trailblazers and communities.