WPHS students moderate National Hispanic Heritage Month panel

To kick off Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations at White Plains High School, four 12th-grade students in Nancy Ocampo’s Latin America and Latinx Studies course moderated a panel discussion about cultural identity. Teachers and administrators with Latin American backgrounds, including Principal Emerly Martinez, sat on the panel to share their unique experiences. 

In class, students came up with questions to ask panelists, with several of the students volunteering to moderate. Twelfth-graders Danila Bykov, Leticia Mendonca De Oliveira, Davin Roselle-Plummer, and Emanuel Vanegas Ocampo served as moderators for the discussion.

“I volunteered myself to be on the panel because this is an important month for us Latin American and Hispanic people,” said Emanuel, who is Colombian. “It’s really important (to hear from other cultures) because we do have a lot of diversity in Latin America, so I feel like it’s important for all of us to know where we come from. It describes a lot of how we are as a person with our personalities and attitudes.”

In the audience, students from other classes attended as a part of an in-school field trip to learn more about Latin American and Hispanic identities. 

“To fully understand the past and the present, it is essential to hear all voices,” said Emory Davis, districtwide coordinator of social studies. “At White Plains High School, 62% of our students are Hispanic, and it is important that we honor their backgrounds while also highlighting the experiences of our faculty members.” 

Thursday’s panel was just the first of several Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations at WPHS, with a Cuban refugee visiting as a guest speaker in early October, ninth-grade research projects being worked on, and a night for parents planned on October 16. Hallway displays, loudspeaker announcements and school newscasts will also celebrate Hispanic heritage throughout the month. 

Students asked the panelists 10 questions related to their ethnicities and cultures and how their backgrounds affect their lives. The questions sparked insightful discussions related to identity, cultural pride, family, and food. For the panelists who immigrated to America, they were also asked about the transition and how it affected them.

“It’s always very important to learn about different cultures. The world is full of them, and we are fortunate enough to have diverse cultures within the school,” said Ms. Ocampo, who was also a panelist. “Just hearing about other people’s experiences is also necessary in order to not repeat history. For me, I learned so much from everybody else as well, so it was fantastic to hear about them and their experiences.”

In one of his responses, Mr. Martinez discussed the internal battle of embracing your roots while being proud of your American identity as well, a struggle shared by Hispanic people across the country. He also spoke about some of the other challenges Latino people may still face today.

“Sometimes you’ll never know whether the color of your skin or how you speak has created a barrier to you getting a job or something like that,” said Mr. Martinez.

During the panel, questions and responses were translated live with captions on a big screen, accompanied by a slideshow of pictures highlighting the panelists and their countries. The panel closed with a question about scholarships, with panelists giving practical advice on applying for scholarships that are both available for both Latin American and Hispanic students and all students.