National Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15 to October 15, and Penn State has a wide variety of events planned for its observance.

The festivities will revolve around the general theme of “¡A Nuestra Salud!: Health in the Latinx Community,” chosen by the University Park Hispanic Heritage Month organizing committee. Both virtual and in-person events are being offered throughout the next several weeks.

The keynote event will take place on Wednesday, October 6, with Dr. David Hayes-Bautista, the director of the Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture at UCLA. His lecture will feature the Latino health paradox, a situation in which the Latinx population sees higher longevity and better mental health despite commonly being socioeconomically disadvantaged.

The conversation will take place via Zoom, where Dr. Hayes-Bautista will answer questions from the audience. Students should email [email protected] if they’re interested in attending.

Several other events throughout Hispanic Heritage Month include a virtual conversation with Ricardo Almodovar on September 23. Almodovar is a community advocate at both the local and state levels. His discussion will touch on his experiences and guide students to getting involved in advocacy projects.

On September 30, En Garde Arts brings its show, “Fandango for Butterflies (and Coyotes),” to the Eisenhower Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. The show draws inspiration from interviews with Latin Americans living in New York City. It will be presented in the form of a fandango, which brings life to stories through dance and live music performances. Student tickets cost $15.

To help wrap up the month, Rojas Márquez will be in Heritage Hall at 6 p.m. on Friday, October 15 in the HUB. Márquez is a current medical student and co-founder of Pre-Health DREAMers. His organization helps to provide undocumented students with resources in order to pursue medical degrees. Tickets for this event are free but required.

Various other events are expected to be added in the upcoming weeks as National Hispanic Heritage Month progresses, and there are several smaller events planned for the month. A comprehensive list of all events can be found here.