U.S. Supreme Court Justice, Sonia Sotomayor once said, “It is important for all of us to appreciate where we come from and how that history has really shaped us in ways that we might not understand.”

Members of the Latino community at Antioch Community High School might have felt underrepresented in past years. The new Latino Leadership club has been brought to light by Spanish teacher Melissa Garcia and advisor Kelly McCracken in an attempt to make those of the Latino culture feel seen and welcomed at ACHS. Latino Leadership club is a student-run organization that is focused on establishing a sense of community and safety for its members– the club is open to students of all backgrounds.

The club held its first meeting on Feb. 1, led by seniors Paola Perez, Logan Angus and Syerra Gilmore. For these members, it is important to see the students involved in the program feel seen and heard. Sophomore, Alondra Zaragoza feels that the ACHS community is moving forward by initiating the Latino Leadership club.

“[Latino Leadership club] is very important to me because I feel like we, being a minority, do not get as much representation, and with this, it is a step forward,” Zaragoza said.

The whole point of the club is to get people to feel comfortable and excited to talk about relevant topics of today. As time goes on, the club is expecting more people to join. Angus describes the club as a place for students to learn what it means to be resilient and make friends.

“In the truest form, it’s a very comfortable space where people who have Latino descendants come together and talk about what’s going on in their lives,” Angus said.

The Latino Leadership club’s future is in the students’ hands. The group talked about changing the name of the club so that it will not be confused with Latino Leadership which is held during the school day. The students have plans to go out to dinner with music and look forward to doing volunteer work in the near future. Chat with spanish teacher Melissa Garcia if you would like to participate in the Latino Leadership club!

Jennifer Lopez once said, “You have to remember the value of your individuality — that you have something special and different to offer that nobody else can.”