As part of the Fort Worth Hispanic Heritage Month Kickoff Celebration, the TXWES Department of Spanish, in conjunction with a host of campus student organizations, including the Bilingual Education Student Organization (BESO), the Latinx Student Association (LSA), the Gold Line Dancers and Mariachi Oro Azul (along with their conductor, Ramón Niño III), participated in the second-annual Fiestas Patrias parade on Sept. 17. Held in the Fort Worth Stockyards, the parade was part of a series of events that included live music, baile folklórico, cattle drives, El Grito de Independencia and the México en la Sangre Rodeo.  

Dr. Ricardo Rodriguez, Chemistry professor and Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, drove the TXWES truck with the festively decorated float in tow. On the hood of the truck, spectators could appreciate a banner that read “Texas Wesleyan University is proud to be a Hispanic-Serving Institution.” LSA president Josue Garnica and LSA member Arletth Fraga bore the Texas Wesleyan standard, followed by the Gold Line dancers, clad in their sparkling uniforms and — appropriately — cowboy boots. As the Gold Line energetically shook their pompoms, various students and alumni in the procession proudly displayed colorfully decorated posters identifying their groups. A number of students on foot, joined by Spanish professor and Program Director of Spanish Dr. Amy Bell, distributed Mexican candy to the eager crowd; others blew bubbles or played party horns. History professor and Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences Dr. Chris Ohan, along with Sociology professor Dr. Alison Simons, enthusiastically rang cowbells emblazoned with the TXWES logo. Meanwhile, Education professor and BESO sponsor Dr. Jessica Salazar and her husband Nick held aloft a pair of enormous piñatas. A number of TXWES alumnae, including Sandra Garcia, Cristal Hernandez, Rosa Maria Berdeja, Lorena Vargas and Xochitl Villalpando, exuberantly danced, waved at the crowd, and flaunted their TXWES Alumni poster.  

If you would like to participate in the upcoming Día de los Muertos parade on Oct. 28, please contact Dr. Amy Bell at abell@txwes.edu.