Purdue University Northwest Announces Hispanic Heritage Month Celebrations

Purdue University Northwest (PNW) will host its annual celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month with a variety of cultural and academic events starting Sept. 13 and continuing through October.

PNW’s Hispanic Heritage Month activities engage the campus community and the public with events highlighting the Latinx communities’ history, culture, cuisine, and contributions to the world. Information about event times and locations can be found at pnw.edu/hispanic-heritage-month.

The celebration kicks off on Sept. 13 with a Mexican Independence Day celebration, hosted by PNW’s Spanish Club student organization, from 5 to 8:30 p.m. in Founders Plaza on the Hammond campus, 2200 169th St., Hammond, IN. Attendees can enjoy live music from a Mariachi, a live performance from Aztec dance group Nahui Ollin Huehuecoyotl and Mexican cuisine.

The premier event of PNW’s celebration will be the Hispanic Independence Parade and subsequent Hispanic Heritage Festival at PNW’s Hammond campus on Sept. 25. The parade, organized by Hispanics United Government Services (H.U.G.S.) Cultural Committee of Hammond, will begin at noon from Morton High School and travel west to PNW’s Hammond campus. Immediately following the parade, beginning at 1 p.m. the public is invited to attend PNW’s annual Hispanic Heritage Festival, featuring food, live entertainment and family-friendly activities.

Diversity and inclusion are core values of PNW, as the university fosters a learning environment welcoming of different ethnicities and perspectives. PNW’s fall 2022 enrollment data shows an increasingly diverse student body, including over 25% of its undergraduate population who self-identify as Hispanic or Latino.

To learn more about PNW’s Hispanic Heritage Month events, visit pnw.edu/hispanic-heritage-month.