The Global Language Organization is a registered student organization at the University of Indianapolis where students can learn about the various cultures of the world, according to UIndy’s student organizations website. Senior psychology and Spanish double major McKenna Tetrick said she has been a part of the organization for two years.
Tetrick said she joined the RSO because she was interested in becoming more involved with the Spanish culture. According to Tetrick, GLO’s goal is to spread awareness through diversity at UIndy.
“It’s a chance to really appreciate the people around us and not looking at the world as something that’s colorblind, but appreciating the differences between us and seeing that as a beautiful way to connect across cultural divides,” Tetrick said.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and concern for everyone’s well-being, GLO’s events will be held online, Tetrick said. GLO will host these online events mainly through their Instagram account, according to Tetrick.
Senior accounting and Spanish double major and GLO president Emily Boomershine said she has been a part of the organization since its founding three years ago. Boomershine said her favorite part of GLO is learning about different cultures along with their traditions.
From Sept. 15 to Oct.15, Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates the Hispanic and Latino Americans’ traditions, cultures and contributions, according to hispanicheritagemonth.gov. When celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, Boomershine said it is important to GLO.
“Hispanic Heritage Month to Global Language Organization means being proud of your roots, being proud of the country you came from,” Boomershine said.
To celebrate the month, on Sept. 18, Assistant Professor of Spanish and GLO’s advisor Ana Maria Ferreira hosted an Instagram live on GLO’s Instagram where she prepared arepas. Arepas are stuffed cornmeal cakes that are a staple in Columbia and Venezuela, according to allrecipes.com. Ferreira made arepas to celebrate her culture, Tetrick said.
“Those are the custom food of Columbia,” Tetrick said. “She felt that it was really important to showcase her culture and just get us involved with a day in the life of a Colombian person.”
According to Tetrick, a book recording event is in the works. The event will feature members of GLO recording children’s books in different languages, she said. The books and the recordings will then be donated to local libraries in Indianapolis, according to Tetrick. The event will be held on Oct. 23 and once details are finalized, GLO will post a Zoom link to their social media accounts, according to Tetrick.
According to Boomershine, the event was inspired by “Hamilton” star Lin-Manuel Miranda.
“He read a Spanish translation of the kid’s book ‘The Rooster That Would Not Be Quiet,’” Boomershine said. “I thought GLO could do something similar, read a book in a different language.”
Although GLO’s events will be held online this semester, Tetrick said she remains hopeful for the future and encourages students to join.
“Learning how to communicate and appreciate people from everywhere is important to literally every single aspect of life,” Tetrick said.
