Adelante Club welcomes spring semester with energetic meet-and-greet event
Tucked away in the staff lounge on the third floor of the Student Services Center, the Adelante Club's first Convivio event – or meet-and-greet – of spring 2025 took place on March 13, 2025.
The upbeat tempo of reggaeton music played vibrantly in the background as the aroma of enchiladas, cucumbers and fresh tortillas warmly filled the air. Inside, a large group of students and several faculty members sat having their food and engaged in conversation on a windy Thursday afternoon.
The Adelante Club, an academic support program started by the SMC Latino Center in 1989, hosted its first meet-and-greet event of the spring 2025 semester. Students were engaged in meeting other club members, faculty advisors and connecting with the club’s board members directly.
Maria Martinez, the program leader and counselor for the Latino Center, opened the event with a brief introduction of herself and passed the mic to several faculty members beside her. "These are folks who work here at Santa Monica College, who are here to support you," said Martinez. "We were all hired to help you."
Janet Tercero, a Student Services Specialist for the Latino Center, picked up the mic. "You probably all met me in orientation at some point," Tercero said. "As a specialist, I pretty much do this and supervise student workers."
Martinez said, "I'm going to have other colegas – or colleagues – that are going to be coming in. As they come, we'll go ahead and introduce them."
"There's one now," said Tercero, as the crowd erupted in laughter and applause.
In walked Daniel Rocha, an instructional math tutor and UCLA graduate with a B.S. in applied mathematics. Rocha works closely with the Latino Center and Black Collegians.
"Good morning everyone,” Rocha said smiling.
“My name’s Daniel Rocha and I tutor here Monday through Friday. So if any of you guys are taking math classes right now, please make sure to reach out to me," Rocha said. "It's never easy doing this stuff alone."
After the brief introduction from the faculty, the groups dispersed into a variety of ice-breaker activities. They spent the next few minutes organizing themselves by identity markers, beginning with their birth months. People began shuffling around, calling out the names of calendar months and raising their hands up to designate meeting points. "February, over here! Any February babies?"
The activities continued as participants split based on zodiac signs, number of siblings (with two people notably bonding over having nine siblings each), majors, shoes, and finally, music preferences.
After the activities concluded, the student board lined up to address the audience. The presentations began with a short introduction from Nahomy Rivas, an SMC psychology major and the president of the Adelante Club. She informed the audience about the anti-ICE march that the club hosted on Tuesday, March 18.
"It's not only a Latino issue, but we are holding space to make sure our voices are heard for those who can't speak out," Rivas said. "We want it to be a welcoming and informative space."
Rivas then passed the microphone down the line, allowing the rest of the board to briefly introduce themselves:
Esthela Mocada, a communications major and the vice president; Joshua Felipe, a photography major, board advisor and a delegate from the Inter-Club Council; Nata Gutierrez, a mortuary science major and co-secretary; Jorge Astorga, a psychology major and co-secretary; Rebecca Kaitlynn, a film major and the social chair; Paola Vazquez, a political science major and the treasurer; Melanie Trujillo, undecided major and the social media director; Abby Flores, an electrical engineering major and the digital media director; and Denise Lopez, a political science and anthropology major and the commissioner.
As the event drew to a close, Martinez briefly took back the mic to address the audience about the board and the various benefits that the club can offer students, including employment opportunities that are available on campus. “That’s the best way to maximize your time for studying,” said Martinez.
The group then participated in a few more ice-breaker activities before wrapping up for the day. Students began to leisurely pack their bags as the hum of energetic conversations lingered throughout the room.
“Gracias, muchachos,” said Martinez to the group, as some students rushed to get the last bits of food that were left while others exchanged information to connect later on. Some other students and faculty began to line up for small group photos, smiling and laughing.
For more information and future club meetings, check out the Adelante Club on Instagram @smcadelanteclub.