The Hispanic Student Association was founded in February 2016. Every year since then, the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor and the HSA come together to present the Latino Festival, and this year will be the 10th annual Latino Festival.
The founder, Dr. Karla Gonzalez, put together the HSA after doing research on the percentages of the student body who identified as Hispanic, Latino or spoke Spanish. After research showing constant increases of Hispanic students at UMHB, Gonzalez decided to create the Hispanic Student Association with over 70 students from several Spanish-speaking countries showing up to the first meeting and growing rapidly.
“For over 10 years, we’ve had students from Puerto Rico, Argentina, Mexico, and other parts of the Caribbean," Gonzalez said, talking about how the HSA had positive feedback from the steep incline of Hispanic and Spanish-speaking students who started attending UMHB.
Similar to the HSA, the Latino Festival started small, as a way for students to celebrate Hispanic heritage, traditions, and represent the different Spanish-speaking countries at UMHB. Latino Fest quickly grew into a bigger event, starting to offer student and community participation.
“This is going to be the third year we open the event to the community, both local members of the community and students can participate in the celebration,” Gonzalez talks about the growth of the festival, starting with 75 attendees the first year, and having an estimated 600 attendees last year. “We are very happy that UMHB values and honors the diversity in their students and on campus,” Gonzalez continues.
The Hispanic Association won the Greater Impact Organization Award in 2016, the same year the HSA was founded, and later in 2022 won Student Organization of the Year. Last year, in 2024, the Latino Festival won the Event of the Year Award.
For more information on the Hispanic Student Association and other events they organize on campus year-round, visit their Instagram page @umhb.hsa. Make sure to keep an eye out for the 10th annual Latino Festival at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 19, 2025.
