Consisting of students who are native Spanish speakers, Latinx students who do not speak Spanish and even some gringos who are interested in the culture, Mi Familia offers a way for these students to connect to one another through culture. It was created by and for Latinx and Spanish-speaking students seeking to connect with one another.
Mi Familia is an opportunity for Latinx students to obtain communion and friendship, especially with people with whom they share interests. It provides Latinx students the feelings, the sights and the essence of youthful unity, and still much more beyond this.
“To me, Mi Familia is exactly what the name of the organization says. It’s mi familia, my family here at NC State,” said Didier Turcios, the president of Mi Familia and a junior studying statistics. “When I was in my freshman year here, I experienced what a lot of first-year students do, such as a bit of loneliness. Nevertheless, that all changed the first time I stepped into a Mi Familia meeting.”
In the current political climate, many of us want to spend time with people like ourselves to discuss political issues. Unity through Spanish and Latino music and humor produces trustworthy bonds through which fruitful friendships can be built, and in which thoughts on American politics can be shared.
“Going to the first Mi Familia meeting my first year was really cool because everyone was so incredibly welcoming,” said Valentina Quintero, a sophomore studying environmental technology and management. “It really did feel like a familia at State. It was amazing to meet so many new people that looked like me, and it has empowered me to become a leader within our community.”
For me, filling my free time with the art of Latinx culture is a huge pastime and going to Mi Familia meetings where I can speak Spanish freely among many students, listen and dance to Mexican, Dominican and Puerto Rican music is a blissful escape from the academic (and American) world for myself. My Mexican and Latinx pride is a driving force that is quite unlike any other I’ve met in my life.
Gabriel Carrion, an executive board member of Mi Familia and a senior studying engineering, described his experience with the organization. “It is through Mi Familia where I go to encounter people who look like me, sound like me and have had similar experiences as me, which is hard to find on a campus as big as NC State’s,” Carrion said.
At Mi Familia, Latinx students and everyone else can encounter an inclusive and diverse group where friendships, fun and harmony between students and the school can flourish.
“If you want a family here at NC State, then Mi Familia is a family you should check out,” Turcios said. “Mi Fam welcomes anyone and everyone.”
