Fiesta means more than party for Linfield College Latinas Adelante.

LCLA’s Fiesta Latina kicked off without a hitch Saturday, complete with Tequila Grill tacos, multicul- tural treats and a tight-knit community.

It is easy to think that Tequila Grill tacos alone was enough reason to attend the Fiesta Latina, however deeper than delicious food was a devoted Latin community.

Latin families from the local McMinnville area were invited to participate in the Fiesta. Little kids ran around singing songs in Spanish or sword fought with fresh cotton candy sticks.

Linfield students gathered together as well to represent both the Latin community and the greater Linfield community in a positive way. Beatriz Rendon, a sophomore in LCLA, helped to serve up the tacos and the culture.

“The Fiesta Latina is about bringing together communities because we want people to be exposed to other Hispanic cultures so that people can learn about and appreciate other cultures,” Rendon said.

The Fiesta showcased treats across all cultures but once again food was merely the vehicle for cultural unity.

LCLA can throw a fiesta but they are terrific at building community and representing Latinos and Hispanics in a positive light.

The Fiesta Latina accomplished both of these things on Saturday. Still deeper the Fiesta Latina served as a beacon for the Latin community within McMinnville. Giselle Naranjo Nelson, a junior in LCLA, ran the Fiesta with a passion for bringing together Latin cultures and promoting Linfield College in the process.

“LCLA’s role is helping students come into college and stay in college,” Naranjo Nelson said, “The Fiesta is one of the local things we do to bring in students and the whole district, they are invited to come for free, and we try to encourage them to come to Linfield.”

The Fiesta Latina and LCLA are tried and true methods for attracting prospective Latin students and opening their eyes to the Latin community at Linfield College. Rendon is an example herself.

“LCLA was actually one of the reasons why I wanted to come to Linfield,” Rendon said, “When I came to their activities fair and saw a sign that said Latinas Adelante, they told me about their mentorship program and I still wanted to feel connected to my Latino community.”

Retaining students and maintaining culture is a point of pride for LCLA. Their mentorship program has helped to retain 100 percent of students in LCLA within recent years.

“We are like a family and we keep each other in school, no matter what. We have not had anyone drop out since I started,” Naranjo Nelson said, “We are keeping a lot of first generation students in school. It is hard to go to college when you are the first one in your family with a low income status to attend college. The Fiesta is what we do to have fun and celebrate our culture that a lot of people do not know about.”

Ultimately LCLA and the Fiesta Latina revolve around one word: Adelante.

In English, Adelante means forward but to LCLA students, it means a new direction and limitless potential for the Latin community.

“Adelante means bringing it forward. It means conquering negative stereotypes,” Rendon said, “For me Adelante means showing everybody in the community that as a Latina I can move forward and be successful and also to be a role model that shows we should not give up.”