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La Mariposa Experience (LME) is an on campus organization which focuses on empowering women on campus, helping Latinas, though not not exclusive to, connect with other young Hispanic girls and learn about the rich Latinx culture. Sofia Guerrero, a Junior Nursing student, details what LME is and the impact the club has on students. She is also a great inspiration, holding two leadership positions in organizations aiding Latinos.
“People should join because we do a good job in hosting events in order to teach about our culture. It is also a way to meet girls you would have never crossed paths with.” Guerrero shares, showing how the club could be used as an outlet for the making of friendships and a way to build up a resume with community service hours.
Though the purpose of LME being on campus was to bring a Latina Sorority, the existence of LME will stay present, aiding and encouraging women to feel empowered. LME is important because of the machismo that fills the Latinx community. Machismo is a word to reference the extremity of masculine pride that has been deeply woven into young minds by older generations. LME is able to break that barrier by being a woman support group, where intelligence, hard work, and being a high achieving person is not only limited to the male identity. This organization is able to do this by helping connect female students with other girls that have the same backgrounds, features, and goals.
“[LME] shows representation. In my nursing program there are about two or three other Hispanic girls, whereas if you ask someone in a larger degree program; like biology, they probably would not be able to tell you how many Hispanics are in their major.” Guerrero helps highlight the importance of seeing people with latin backgrounds achieve goals and dreams. It helps the person feel seen and negates the idea that there are defining social obstacles in the way. ATU, Russellville and surrounding communities have also been extremely helpful in their input for this organization.
“Staff love Hispanic food, if you let them know and give them a flier they will try their best to show up and support. The community has been so helpful for Hispanic Heritage Month! We went around stores and a lot of owners were willing to give donations. They were so understanding and helpful because they appreciated that their culture was being shown on a college campus. I feel like they also understand because they also have Hispanic kids whom they are trying to push forward for a higher education.”
Guerrero exemplifies the reason of how important it is to have a community that you share a background with that supports you. Looking forward to the next semester, Guerrero and LME hope to keep the ATU student body and staff on the edge of their seats, anticipating new and upcoming events.
