Mikaela Mack
Students dancing to the Moctezuma band on Banda Night.
On Oct. 10, starting at 5:00 p.m. the Puente club hosted what was known as the first ever Banda Night on the Solano Community College campus. The night was filled with food, dancing, and live entertainment by DJ DManiac and band DSAS3.
Puente members Melissa, Andrea, and Cesar shared that prepping for the event was incredibly “exciting” and each member was thrilled to bring something new to the campus that hadn’t been done before. Melissa and Andrea explained that this event was a long time coming, with the initial idea being pitched in May of last semester.
“We put out this idea again in the fall, so we’ve been trying to get this done.”
Melissa explained the importance of showcasing Hispanic culture through music, dancing, and food especially during Hispanic Heritage Month to both her and the rest of Puente.
“It’s a part of our Mexican culture, and we were really able to express ourselves.”
Andrea also chimed in on how the food stood out to her as a way to share Hispanic culture with the community.
“Seeing the food trucks and vendors -that’s something from our culture. I think that was something that brought it all together.”
As a result of a large turnout, Puente plans to continue hosting more community events at the college in the future. Melissa expressed her desire to create a Dia De Los Muertos celebration for students to partake in.
“I think it would be really beautiful and informative to the community.”
When asked for a rating of the night, freshman Kimberley Vasquez said “It was so important to me knowing that I could express my culture without feeling criticized or judged. I felt comfortable knowing the college was representing our culture.”
Student Lianne Ortiz added that “it was so good, everyone had fun, and the food was good too!”
The event garnered a showing of 350+ people, with almost 50 volunteers to help with setup, check in, and patrolling. With ticket sales adding up to almost $1,000 for the Puente club themselves.