Best of CASE District VII Award
 

Institution: University of California, Irvine

Title of entry: Día de los Muertos

About this entry: At UC Irvine, Latinos make up 25% of the student population. UCI’s School of Social Ecology has the most Latino students (46%) so it was fitting for the school to host this free public event. Together with our sponsor, Northgate González Market, our school was able to honor our Latino community with a respectful and festive Día de los Muertos celebration. More than 1,000 members of the community attended the well-received event, at which we featured a traditional Aztec dance presentation, Ballet Folklorico and musical performances, a student-created altar and a lively concert by the two-time Grammy Award winning Mariachi Divas. The crowds were teated to free traditional foods, as well as sugar skull decorating and face painting. We also created an online altar, open to anyone who wanted to honor a deceased loved one. The Mexican holiday, traditionally celebrated on Nov. 1 and 2, is a joyful event that cheers the soul, and that was our aim. Those in attendance learned about the special tradition and left enlightened. This reaction from a 51-year-old real estate agent, sums it up best: “The Mariachi Divas were amazing, the tamales were so good. We loved the face painting, all the activities and the beautiful altar. Everyone was so positive. I was able to introduce my daughter to something traditional from our heritage. The most important thing was the amazing cultural representation. What an opportunity to inspire kids like my daughter to aspire to be students at UCI.”