What did Hispanic Heritage Night at SECU Stadium mean to our Hispanic students?

By: Chris Bowie-Donayre🇵🇪

Maryland fans holding "¡Vamos Terps!" signs on game day (via University of Maryland Athletics: Dylan Davies)

Sept. 19, was the University of Maryland’s “Hispanic Heritage Night,” where our Football Terps took on Virginia Tech under the lights. 

As part of the celebration for the Hispanic community, the University of Maryland decided to really go all out with the giveaways. Giveaways included pennants, shirts, handheld signs, koozies and hats all with special “Los Terps” decals. With all these options, thousands of students and Maryland fans chose to join in by displaying their giveaways and showing some orgullo hispano. 

In order to understand part of the significance of this night, it’s important to recognize where we are located. Specifically, the University of Maryland is located in College Park, an integral part of the DMV. In the state of Maryland, there are over 850,000 people who make up the Hispanic community donde han dejado su huella. 

La noche estuvo electrizante. 

Before the game even started, fans cheered at the sight of all Hispanic countries’ flags being waved and flaunted. In addition to all the fans showing up for the game, credit must be given to our DJ and the Mighty Sound of Maryland, who did not disappoint with their choices to play “Danza Kuduro” by Don Omar and “NUEVAYoL” by Bad Bunny, and many other hits that nuestra familia knows. 

On the field, our football players all embraced Hispanic culture by donning “Los Terps” helmets to represent the familia here. 

While our football team struggled to follow Virginia Tech, fans continued to cheer on and wave their “!Vamos Terps!” signs in the air. With the help of SECU stadium’s digital boards, fans learned phrases like “¡Más fuerte!” y “¡Haz ruido!” donde empezaron a ponerse de pie y saltar. 

The Terps fought until the end but, unfortunately, couldn’t take the win, leaving the final score at 35-26. However, there were definitely some wins that stayed in the Maryland community regarding that night. 

I caught up with two students about how they felt after Hispanic Heritage Night. 

One Ecuadorian member of The Mighty Sound of Maryland, tenor saxophonist Grace Goodwin, shared a few thoughts: 

“It makes my heart happy that such a big institution recognizes their diverse campus community. I appreciated the Mighty Sound of Maryland even more for selecting a blend of classic and modern latin music. To be able to play the songs that I grew up listening to is a huge honor! My favorite song we played was NUEVAYoL by Bad Bunny!”

Miguel Macaoay also shared how he felt: 

“Hispanic Heritage Night was a night when American Football went far beyond the field. Being able to celebrate and share my culture with others of Hispanic heritage brought into perspective how the Terp Nation continues to grow and develop its own identity. !Seguimos juntos!”

It’s clear that Hispanic Heritage Night was something that many will remember. And even if we’d like to forget the outcome of the game, we ought to remember what was really celebrated that night: La familia.