Multicolored lights illuminated the dance floor, flags of Latin American countries enhanced the walls and Bad Bunny’s “Tití Me Preguntó” transformed an otherwise neutral G76 into a party on Sept. 20. Student Organization of Latines’ (SOL) Mucho Gusto Mixer welcomed club members and interested Fordham students alike to an evening full of festivities.
SOL is a club based at Fordham University’s Lincoln Center Campus. According to their Instagram account @sol_fordham, their purpose is to “celebrate, learn about, and share Latine culture, tradition, history, and heritage” among students of Latine backgrounds and those interested in Latine culture.
Promptly at 7 p.m., students lined up outside G76 to check in for the event. A neon green wristband qualified as an entry ticket.
Once inside, students gravitated toward the aromas of Sophie’s Cuban Cuisine catering. Platters of ropa vieja — a dish of shredded beef, bell peppers and onions — roasted pork, empanadas, salad, rice and plantains sprawled across a table. Students piled their plates with food and then sat around the tables.
Everyone shared the meal together, accompanied by conversation, laughter and music.
“My family is from Mexico. So I wanted to join an organization that represented my heritage.” Karina Garcia FCLC ’25
Once the hearty food vanished, slices of tres leches cake made their way from platter to plate to mouth.
“Corazón Sin Cara” by Prince Royce, followed by more upbeat tunes, lured students onto the dance floor. Friends greeted each other with smiling faces, embraced, and the dance floor became the hotspot for line dancing. About half of the crowd participated in the dance itself, while the other half cheered from the sidelines.
Amid the chaos of academic life, SOL has provided a comforting and fun space for people to gather.
Everyone was beaming — including Karina Garcia, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’25, who applauded as the dance went on. Garcia has been involved in SOL since her sophomore year.
“My family is from Mexico,” she said. “So I wanted to join an organization that represented my heritage.” Since then, Garcia has remained an active member of the club because “SOL is kind of like a home on campus,” she said.
The club is dedicated to Latine culture, but any Fordham undergraduate, regardless of cultural identity, is invited to join.
The line dancers caught their breaths just as SOL’s PR Representative, Alexandra Aurora Pupo, FCLC ’26, took to the stage to announce a game for everyone: a hula hoop contest. Whoever could keep their hula hoop twirling the longest would be awarded a mystery prize.
As SOL’s PR Representative, Pupo creates content for the club’s social media. She pointed out how each member of the E-Board looks different, highlighting the diversity of the Latine community. The club is dedicated to Latine culture, but any Fordham undergraduate, regardless of cultural identity, is invited to join.
“The community that is not even Latines coming here and enriching the culture with us … dancing along with us, eating our food — I think that’s what creates the impact of the cultural clubs more than just us carrying it, as Latine people,” Pupo said.
The hula hoop contest commenced, and one by one, hula hoops dropped to the floor. After a round of tough competition, Gabe Guy, FCLC ’28, reigned victorious and won himself a brand new Hydro Flask.
As the mixer wrapped up, handfuls of students scurried towards the floral backdrop to take some final group photos, capturing their memories from the night.
Fabiola Alejandra Santiago Ruiz, FCLC ’25, stuck around to ensure a smooth cleanup post-mixer. She has served as President of SOL since 2023. Santiago Ruiz and the E-Board have been planning Mucho Gusto since the beginning of the school year.
The quick turnaround from the start of planning to the night of the event “makes it hard to get appeals for more money,” but “we make it work,” Santiago Ruiz said. And “make it work” they did.
Beyond the logistics of the event, Santiago Ruiz said she hopes the new students attending Mucho Gusto found a warm sense of community. “I think that’s the goal of SOL at large, but specifically this event,” she said. “‘Mucho gusto’ means ‘Nice to meet you,’ so it’s a really good way for people to get to know each other and to feel like they are home here as much as they are back home.”
The spirit of home, community, and gathering was a common theme among Mucho Gusto attendees and E-Board members alike. “I think it’s the best club in the world,” said Santiago Ruiz.
This year’s E-Board — the team behind the Mucho Gusto Mixer — includes President Santiago Ruiz, Vice President Chelsy Veras, FCLC ’26, Treasurer Valeria Carballo, FCLC ’25, Secretary Taylor McPartland, FCLC ’25, PR Representative Pupo, and Event Coordinator Francine Castaing, FCLC ’26.