Southland Conference looks back at Hispanic Heritage Month
Josh Manck
Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates and recognizes the contributions and influence of Hispanic Americans to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States.
This month is especially important to the Southland Conference and its membership as there are over 600 Hispanic student-athletes across the conference – the second-most in Division I at the last data collection in 2021.
Hispanic student-athletes across the conference are not just represented on campus, but are truly celebrated and are proud of their heritage.
“Being a Hispanic student-athlete means a lot as a baseball player, which is big in the Dominican,” said Ryan Delorbe, a pitcher on the baseball team at New Orleans.
“It feels great to feel supported not just by Hispanic people, but everyone from Lion Athletics, supporting and encouraging all Hispanic student-athletes,” said Celeste Vela, a setter on the volleyball team from Texas A&M-Commerce from Guadalajara, Mexico. “It makes me feel at home and motivates me to help other people feel the same way.”
“I’m so proud to be a Hispanic/Latina athlete,” said Valentina Echeverri, a volleyball player at New Orleans who hails from Colombia. “It helps me remember my family back home and it helps me represent them in a way.”
Campuses across the conference held events to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and celebrate the contributions of those communities.
“I was really proud of how everything was put together to cheer on the Hispanic people all over campus, especially with the food trucks with the tacos and papusas,” Vela said of the experience at A&M-Commerce. “The live music was fun at the Block Party, and it was awesome to see everyone get together to support our student-athletes.”
UIW director of athletics Richard Duran – who is one of just eight current Hispanic ADs across the NCAA – was also proud of the events on his campus.
“UIW hosted a variety of events to celebrate
UIW Latinx Heritage Month. Events started with “Hispanic Heritage Month Diversitea and Coffee,” which was followed by over a dozen additional events. Within athletics, we celebrated many of our 30 Hispanic/Latinx employees through the
UIW Athletics DEI twitter by sharing what Hispanic Heritage Month means to each of them. It brought me a lot of pride to be able to give these dedicated employees a platform to share their stories,” Duran said.
The conference is also proud of our three designated Hispanic-serving institutions – the University of the Incarnate Word, Texas A&M University-Commerce, and Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.
“UIW is a Hispanic-Serving Institution, and more than half of our student body identifies as Hispanic or Latino,” noted Thomas M. Evans, PhD, President at UIW. “Additionally, many have deep ties to the predominantly Hispanic South Texas region. Therefore, we have a responsibility to ensure that we instill the values of leadership and service in our students, giving them the tools to rise in their fields professionally and lift the lives of their families and communities as they do so. We do this by providing opportunities for them to be heard, to be well represented, or to be the representation where they find none. Our diverse faculty, staff and coaches are always hard at work to provide more that they may meaningfully contribute in the classroom, in the community, as well as in athletic play.”
The true celebration of Hispanic Heritage at our institutions includes strong leadership by Hispanic people including athletics department leadership and coaches.
“This platform is a gift because I have been provided the opportunity to highlight past generations, traditions, leaders, and makers of change in my life with my student/athletes,” said Kathleen Rodriguez, head softball coach at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. “The pride and joy that I have in celebrating my culture and the beautiful diversity that is my Hispanic culture is a true blessing and gift.”
“Creating a culture of visibility and inclusion in athletics, and in all facets of university life, is deeply important. For instance, at UIW not only do we have a diverse athletics staff, but our athletic director, Richard Duran is one of only a very few Hispanic ADs in Division 1 athletics. I am proud that our students of Hispanic descent can see their cultures and heritage reflected in the diversity of the program. In addition to visible representation, an environment that welcomes and intentionally makes space for all helps support inclusion at every level. UIW Athletics is a shining example of how these efforts lead to success on and off the playing field. We as an institution strive to do all we can to ensure our athletes, of every background, have the support they need to accomplish their goals,” Evans said.
“Being one of eight current Hispanic athletic directors brings me great pride, and I hope that Hispanic student-athletes, coaches and administrators can look at me and realize that their dreams can be reached,” Duran said.
And while visibility and support for Hispanic student-athletes and leaders continues to grow, our institutions are continually working to improve that.
“Hispanic people can be supported in athletics with continued education and professional development of students and student-athletes to help develop the next generation of leaders,” Duran noted. “Showcasing Hispanic leaders who have accomplished and achieved the goals that the student-athletes have is vital. Celebrating these individuals and connecting them with the student-athletes can help encourage the student-athletes to start down their own personal journey for success. Establishing and building the professional pipeline of Hispanic administrators and coaches is important, while also providing career development opportunities for Hispanic professionals by equipping them with the tools and skills needed to grow. Strengthening the engagement with the greater Hispanic community through events like Hispanic Heritage Month can also provide support systems for Hispanic individuals away from home.”
“I believe the continuation of celebrating and lifting voices, culture, traditions, and the contribution Hispanics have made in the United States is important to share within campus life and athletics,” Rodriguez said.
The Southland Conference is proud of the strong representation of Hispanic people and culture across the league and will continue to help promote Hispanic voices.