Hollister
– It’s a chance for students to show off their cultures: Sing in
their native language, perform a dance their great-great
grandmother used to do or play the instrument their uncle brought
from his home country.
Hollister – It’s a chance for students to show off their cultures: Sing in their native language, perform a dance their great-great grandmother used to do or play the instrument their uncle brought from his home country.
The acts are all part of San Benito High School’s 17th annual Cultural Talent Show, which is organized by MEChA, a Latino student organization. The talent show is one of the club’s biggest fundraisers of the year. Funds from it will go towards providing scholarships for seniors.
MEChA stands for “Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Azatlán,” which means Chicano Student Movement of Azatlán. The national club, which has around 40 members at SBHS, promotes cultural learning and the empowerment of Chicanos through education.
The Cultural Talent Show epitomizes the club’s objectives: Encouraging all SBHS students to share their heritage with the rest of the student body, and raising scholarship funds to encourage higher education.
MEChA’s leadership team explained that they hope those who join the club will feel support in pursuing a college degree.
“The club really encourages everybody to go to college,” said 18-year-old senior Mirian Martinez, co-president and head of the committee organizing the talent show. “I guess it just encouraged me, so I wanted to be in a leadership position and encourage people as well.”
MEChA is the only student club that provides a scholarship to outgoing seniors, club adviser Jim Caffiero said.
He said the fundraisers MEChA puts on throughout the year all go toward promoting higher education for their students.
“Whatever we can do for really all students to encourage them to go to college is good,” Caffiero said.
At SBHS, although they do not track statistics on college attendance after high school, there is significant indication that the percentages are disproportionately white. In 2005, 49 percent of Caucasian students at SBHS had completed the requirements to attend a University of California or California State University school, while 31 percent of Hispanic students had met the requirements, according to the California Department of Education.
Eighteen-year-old Edith Martinez, MEChA co-president, said she felt inspired to pursue a college degree, although neither of her parents have received one, after her experience with MEChA. Martinez said she thinks Hispanic students have more barriers hindering them from attending college.
She said she not only felt encouraged by the club itself, but she thinks the scholarships the club provides could give the added push to her and others.
“I think (the scholarship) is super important. Especially Latino families, I feel like they struggle more with educating their kids, and sometimes money is the barrier,” Martinez said. “So MEChA provides a big opportunity to provide some money.”
Money from earlier fundraisers has already been used by the club to help one student pay for her college applications, and another pay for her SAT.
Both Edith Martinez and Mirian Martinez hope their work in planning the talent show will pay off, and they will have enough money to provide several scholarships.
But, beyond the fundraiser, the talent show is a good chance for students and community members to learn about cultures they aren’t familiar with, Caffiero said.
“We have students playing instruments that you’ve never heard or seen before,” Caffiero said. “And that’s a pretty cool experience.”
Alice Joy covers education for the Free Lance. She can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 336 or at [email protected].
