For the next month, Hispanics from Iowa State and all over the world will be celebrating their heritage and culture.

ISU’s celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month started Monday afternoon with opening ceremonies in the Pioneer Room of the Memorial Union. The celebration was kicked off by Vice President for Student Affairs Thomas Hill, who gave the welcome in Spanish.

“I freaked out my staff all last week by greeting them in Spanish,” Hill said. “A root-canal would have been easier than [learning Spanish]. Seriously, I would like every student to take part in and learn about a culture.”

The keynote speaker of the opening ceremony was Mirtha Vaca, newscaster at WHO-TV, Channel 13 in Des Moines. Other speakers for the opening ceremony were Azael Villanueva, student chairman of the Hispanic Heritage Committee, and Hector Avalos, professor’s assistant in philosophy.

“Mexico is going through a terrible ordeal with poverty right now, and that is where I am from,” said Villanueva, senior in electric engineering and biochemistry. “I felt ashamed about the state the country was in.

“But then I remembered our tradition, and I was proud of where I came from. That is what this week is about,” he said.

The month-long celebration from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, encompasses several historic events in Latino history. Today marks the independence days of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

The day of Mexican independence is Wednesday, and El Dia de la Raza is celebrated Oct. 12.

The celebration was extended from a week to one month in 1989 by the U.S. Congress. The purpose of Hispanic Heritage Month is to encourage Hispanic awareness among all citizens.

“I think it is important for people to get involved,” Vaca said. “I think this is a great opportunity for students, faculty and the community to come out and to get a better appreciation of Hispanic culture.”

Understanding other people from many different cultures is very important, Vaca said.

“America has so many cultures, so many languages and so many different ways of seeing the world,” she said. “I urge [people] to seek out opportunities where you can experience those differences.

“They will make you stronger, and it will help us understand each other a little better. And when we understand each other, God only knows what we can do together,” Vaca said.

The celebrations will continue with a burrito eating contest Friday from 4 to 6 p.m. It will be held at Pancheros, 109 Welch Ave. Participants will compete by eating as many free “gordos” as they can.

Other events coming up include a fun run around campus this Saturday and Culture Fest on Sept. 25 in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union.

“We have a lot of fun things planned for this month,” Villanueva said. “It is an opportunity for people to relax and still learn something.”

Vaca said a better understanding and knowledge of other cultures will help us live better as a whole.

“You need to take criticism as it comes your way with an open mind, filtering out the nuggets of knowledge from the mountains of opportunity,” she said. “Any dream is possible no matter where you come from — in America anything is possible. I am living proof of that.”