DALLAS, Pa. — Two of Penn State Wilkes-Barre’s newer clubs allow students to spend time with their peers of similar backgrounds while also promoting diversity and service to others.

The Black Student Union (BSU) and Latino Student Alliance (LSA) are among the clubs and organizations that students can join at the campus. The BSU became an official club in fall 2023 and the LSA was founded in spring 2024. While the majority of students in the clubs identify as Black or Latino, the clubs and their activities are open to anyone who wants to join and support them. Both clubs also are dedicated to giving back to the campus and community through educational and service activities.

“It’s important for people to be able to find representation and community where they are,” said John Vito Powell, coordinator of campus activities. “Students want to find a place they can identify with or see a community they can be part of. It’s an asset to our campus community that these students have come forward and are active in their organizations.”

Both clubs meet regularly to plan events and activities. They coordinate with the Student Activities Office to work out logistics of their events and receive guidance on how to operate fundraisers and handle the money collected.

Student leaders

Each club has a full slate of officers. The BSU’s officers are Shamonie Rose, president; Makayla Pass, vice president; Aysia Pink, secretary; and Zara Bryant, treasurer. The LSA’s officers are Ray Sanchez, president; Lizzeth Lezama-Luna, vice president; Jennifer Stephanie Gardillo Cadme, secretary; and Maria Luna, treasurer. Many of the current officers, including both presidents, were instrumental in the founding of the two clubs.

Sanchez, a junior majoring in business with a minor in criminology, is a first-generation college student from Quakertown, where his parents operate Cielito Lindo Mexican Grocery and Restaurant. In addition to serving as president, he is one of the founders of the LSA.

“I thought it was a good idea to share culture and diversity around campus and have more students involved in creating a safe space for Latino students at Penn State Wilkes-Barre,” he said. “I think it’s great to foster cultural awareness and community for Latinos on our campus.”

Sanchez said he has learned a great deal in organizing and leading the club, particularly since he wasn’t involved in extracurricular activities prior to the one that captured his interest.

“It’s been a great learning experience for me,” he said. “Leading a club is a whole new skill for me to build, and I’m having fun while doing it. I’m happy I got myself involved in it.”

Rose is a native of Washington, D.C., and a corporate communication major in her final year at Penn State Wilkes-Barre.

“Last year, my friend Kiarra Moore was the president of the BSU. I was part of the plan from the beginning, starting when she came to me to tell me about her idea,” Rose said. “I was excited because I always wanted to be part of a club like this in college.”

She served as treasurer for the club during its first year and helped with the BSU’s activities for the year.

“Last year, we did a lot of different events, including going off campus and volunteering,” Rose said. “Last year being our first year, it was a testing ground, but we really had a great year. I hope to see it continue in the years after I’ve graduated.”

Club activities

“Both of these clubs are close communities of students who enjoy doing things together, even outside of their clubs,” Powell said.

The BSU typically centers its events on special occasions such as Black History Month, when they hosted a speaker, or holidays such as Kwanzaa and New Year, which they marked by writing down their resolutions together. For Halloween, they held a party that raised money for a campus trick-or-treat event for children. They also held a sneaker ball, where members dressed up and wore sneakers with their attire. The BSU set up a table for Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October, making ribbons in support of the causes and passing out flyers to raise awareness.

The club members have developed close relationships and often connect through a group chat. They also meet off campus for activities like Soul Food Sunday, when Rose has hosted club members at her apartment for a potluck-style dinner and games.

“This year, one of our goals is to be able to do more in the community,” Rose said. “I want to be able to show students in high schools or the local community that this is a club that’s on this campus and be able to help our community out. It’s important for us to be more involved and make our voices heard, not just on the campus but in the local community as well.”

The club is planning to hold a canned food drive this month. In the past, they have done food drives as well as collections of scarves and blankets for those in need. They also have volunteered at St. Vincent de Paul’s soup kitchen in downtown Wilkes-Barre by preparing meals.

The LSA has hosted events that celebrate Hispanic heritage while educating their campus community. One of those events, held during Hispanic Heritage Month, was a loteria game, which Sanchez described as “a Mexican bingo.” Club members taught others how to play the game while serving Mexican food and drinks.

They also hosted a three-day event for the Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), during which members of the Latino community honor their ancestors who have passed away.

“This holiday is a celebration for remembering our loved ones who have passed, showing that we never forget and they’re always with us,” Sanchez said. “It’s a way of celebrating them and their lives.”

The LSA created a collective ofrenda altar for the campus and hosted a decoration station where students could be creative and decorate skeleton masks and picture frames. They were invited to bring in pictures of their loved ones to place at the ofrenda.

The club also provided the chance for students to learn about the holiday’s significant food, including the traditional pan de morte (bread of the dead). Sanchez’s parents made the bread, which he described as having an “orange zesty flavor,” and he drove to Quakertown to pick it up the night before.

“I love to do things like this for this event. I would have done anything to make it possible,” he said. “A lot of students and staff came and got to try out a new food for the holiday. Being able to have an event where others could learn about this holiday was really great.”

Like the BSU, the LSA is also planning more community service activities, spurred in part by a chance encounter Sanchez had.

“I had a car problem on my way to class and was pulled over when a woman stopped to help me,” he said. “She gave me a ride to campus and was telling me about the community service her church in Dallas does. They are looking for people to help, so our club members are going to work with them on projects like coat drives for kids.”

Importance of the clubs

Both club presidents said it’s important for their organizations to have a presence on campus to model diversity and to provide a safe space for members who identify as Black or Latino.

“I want to have a chance to show diversity around our campus and a place where Black students can meet,” Rose said. “We all want to be able to be involved and have unity on our campus. For us to create this kind of space means we don’t meet on our own but can be a part of something bigger on campus.”

She said the members of the BSU enjoy spending time together and having a space where they can talk about their mental health and other topics.

“To come together and really be like a family is very enjoyable for us,” Rose said.

Sanchez said having a club like the LSA underscores the importance of student involvement at Penn State Wilkes-Barre.

“It’s where we can celebrate our culture and foster inclusiveness on campus,” he said. “I’m proud of the way our group has grown and made a positive impact on this campus.”

He added that the students in the LSA are interested in delving into their heritage to learn more.

“They want to have guest speakers to talk about how their cultural backgrounds affect them,” Sanchez said. “They also want to talk about their experiences as Latino students going to college and share their culture.”

Club advisers

As officially recognized Penn State clubs, both the BSU and the LSA are overseen by advisers. Molly Abdalla, student engagement and outreach librarian, serves as adviser to the BSU and Meredith Cosgrove, personal counselor, as LSA adviser.

“Molly has been really great to have on board. She assists us with sharing her knowledge of what’s going on around campus and how we can get involved,” Rose said. “She’s very eager and helpful and makes sure we always stay involved. And if we ever need to talk to anyone, she’s always there for us.”

Abdalla arranged for the club to be part of the Multicultural Parade and Festival in downtown Wilkes-Barre in September, marching with several BSU members. She said the event highlighted the club’s presence to the wider Wilkes-Barre community.

She was recruited for the position as club adviser during the club’s inception, given her role as co-chair of the campus’ DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging) Council.

“From the beginning, the members of this club have had a vision of where they wanted to go with their activities,” Abdalla said. “It’s a very student-led organization that has a strong presence on campus. The students in the club are involved in different ways, but they all have great personalities and bring so much to the club. Shamonie is very organized and a strong leader. She is also very kind and has a good sense of understanding of everything happening on campus.”

Abdalla stressed the importance of college students feeling a sense of belonging and said she hopes the BSU provides that for its members.

“I want our students to feel welcome and at home here,” she said. “I also feel like it’s an important part of the college experience for all of the student body to see the presence of cultural organizations on campus and to celebrate diversity.”

Cosgrove said her involvement in the LSA is particularly meaningful to her, as she is of Hispanic descent.

“That was just another reason I was so enthusiastic about this student organization,” she said. “The students are absolutely wonderful and have done a fantastic job informing people about their club and the heritage practices of different cultures.”

Like Abdalla, she assists with the direction of the club and helps coordinate LSA participation in campus events. She has served at several of the club’s events, such as a fundraising carnation sale during the Dia de los Muertos celebration.

“The club members have been very productive. They’ve done a fantastic job of coming up with ideas and organizing these events and have more events planned for the spring semester,” Cosgrove said. “They’ve really been an asset to our campus. Ray is extremely organized and has done a great job leading the club.”

“Having this club at Penn State Wilkes-Barre adds cultural diversity and works toward Penn State’s DEIB commitment,” she continued. “It gives our Latino students a sense of belonging and allows other students to gain information about Latino cultures.”

Sanchez summed up the LSA’s goals as it continues to grow, saying, “We welcome everybody to our events. We aim to celebrate Latino heritage, share cultural awareness with others and provide a supportive environment for all students.”