“There’s a lot of things in my culture that I input into my moral values. It correlates with my relationships with people and how I treat people. I feel like usually, I tend to be more respectful to adults. That’s just how I was raised because I’m filial piety, and things like that are a big deal in Cambodian culture. I implement that into my life a lot. I feel like the defining things of my culture are religion rooted in Buddhism, music and clothes.”

Unity is power

Story by Reese Langdon, Editor-In-Chief

February 1, 2023

Texas High showcases a beautiful array of diversity. Students from all different backgrounds, cultures, ethnicities and traditions all smoothly blend into the student body. THS has created its own melting pot, if you will.

However, how often do these backgrounds get exclaimed proudly? How often do we shed light on the variety of cultures this school has to offer? How often do we take time to embrace ethnicities and share traditions?

Unfortunately, the answer to these questions is rare. This rarity was a call to action for math teacher Alejandra Hernandez and an ambitious group of Texas High students in 2015 after they were inspired by a Latino group started at the college level.

“I took a small group of students to the Summer Institute at Henderson State University,” Mrs. Hernandez said. “They were looking through the yearbooks and saw the club picture of the League of Latinos. I told them how I started that club several years ago to bring the Latinos on campus together and be a support system as first generation college students.”

This motivating field trip was not forgotten when summer came to an end, and the kids returned to school.

“[The students] wanted to do the same at Texas High,” Mrs. Hernandez said. “After that summer, the same group of students came to my room on the first day of school and asked what they needed to do to get it started.”

The founders of the club set up dates for meetings and spread the word that the Multicultural Club would proudly be the newest addition to Texas High. They managed to draw in over 50 interested students to the first meeting in Mrs. Hernandez’s room.

“My freshman year of high school, I noticed there were so many activities such as, sports, STUCO and other clubs. A lot of people were really not a big part of them either because of the lack of knowledge about it, language barrier or because they were too shy to join,” founding member Catalina Resendiz said. “By opening this club, they would get a chance to spend more time together, learn more English, travel at the end of the year and also participate in activities.”

Resendiz and her peers’ perseverance paid off to create a better environment for students feeling unrepresented in the student body both then and now.

“The Multicultural Club is for anyone and everyone to join,” Resendiz said. “I would tell the current members to enjoy this club and to thank Mrs. Hernandez for the support she has put in this. I can say she has been very dedicated to this club. I would also tell them to bring in more ideas, more foods and more traditions for everyone because as time goes, the club gets bigger and better.”

Though Resendiz no longer walks in Texas High’s halls, she left a legacy for many more generations to explore and indulge in.

“Multicultural Club has helped me step out of my comfort zone and be a more open person,” senior Maria Silva said. “I decided to join Multicultural Club last year because I wanted to share my culture with others since there are not many Venezuelans in the school.”

Silva took her dedication to the club to the next level by becoming an officer her senior year.

“This year, I was very lucky to be chosen as one of the officers by first being nominated, and then, getting the rest of the members to vote for me as their historian,” Silva said. “I decided to be an officer because I wanted to contribute ideas to the club and share what we get to experience. As officers, we get to meet once a month to discuss upcoming events for the club and bring ideas to the table on how we can spread the different cultures here at T-High.”

The hard work that the officers put in does not go to waste. It has made the Multicultural Club a welcoming attraction to incoming freshmen.

“Being part of this club has helped me become more sociable and learn more about other countries,” freshmen Joselin Martinez-Lopez said. “It allows me to connect with my people and share beautiful experiences.”

Simularily, upperclassmen feel the same acceptance and friendliness as those new to high school do. Senior Said Hernandez enjoys even the little things when getting to spend time with other club members.

“My favorite thing is when we do club events, whether it’s preparing food for our fundraisers or enjoying the club parties,” Hernandez said. “During these times, everyone can be themselves and enjoy the moment not having to worry about anything else.”

Since its origin in 2015, Multicultural Club’s mission was to make a home away from home for Texas High students- they have definitely been successful. Multicultural Club does not exclude anyone for background, ethnicity, race, language or culture.

“Everyone is more than welcome to join,” Hernandez said. “Don’t feel discluded just because you’re not a majority. There’s a place for everyone.”