With the growing diversity among students at Oak Park and River Forest High School, one club is working hard to create a sense of community and belonging for Hispanic students.
ASPIRA club, the OPRF chapter of the national organization devoted to education and leadership development of Latinx students, has been transitioning out of its partnership, but much of the goal remains the same: to be a welcoming space for Hispanic students at OPRF. The club hopes to remain and to transition to being called “Amistad Latina.”
Kelly Diaz, co-sponsor of the club since 2009 and Spanish teacher at OPRF, said the OPRF was part of the Chicago chapter of ASPIRA, along with a few Chicago Public Schools and charter schools, but over the years their focus had shifted more toward schools and away from clubs.
“We are kinda doing our own thing,” Diaz said.
And they are doing it well.
The club has been a key player in helping Hispanic students at OPRF feel seen and welcomed, they said.
“Our club provides a safe space and environment to learn about other Latino communities and do fun stuff with other Latino communities where you can feel welcomed and at home,” said Paola Campuzano, a junior.
The club has about 15 members, but numbers are constantly changing throughout the year because of extracurricular activities.
The need for a physical club presence is increasing at OPRF, as OPRFHS has seen an increase in Hispanic students in recent years.
According to the 2023 Illinois Report Card, in 2021,13.1% of the student population identifies as Hispanic, 13.5% in 2022, and 14.6% in 2023.
“At our school, we have a wide range of people who are third or fourth generation Latino and people who are first generation,” said Sophia Chavez, a sophomore. “I feel like being Latino in a school where you have that wide range within a few students, it is more difficult to feel like you are Latino’ enough.’ Learning about other Latino countries helps us feel community with each other.”
The club hosts events throughout the year to bring together their “comunidad,” and are known to have dance parties during their meetings. They have also recently wrapped up their winter coat drive, collecting more than 85 coats that were distributed to people in need around Oak Park and Chicago.
That sense of community is one that students in ASPIRA wanted to ensure the newly enrolled migrant students were a part of, so they volunteered to welcome the new students and show them around the school.
“They were done on an individual basis,” said Diaz. “The ASPIRA students went above and beyond. They made sure that every student that came in had someone to eat lunch with, and at the high school that is a big deal.”
Diaz praised her students on their efforts to welcome and also make the new students feel like peers and friends rather than just an “I am helping you out.”
“I saw that happen organically, it wasn’t intentional and the newcomers are part of our club now,” Diaz said. “They are so excited to come and I think it’s because they have a safe, comfortable place where they can be themselves and be teenagers.”
Chavez said being able to get to know people and being surrounded by peers who are similar has brought a positive environment to OPRF’s Hispanic community.
“That is what makes it feel really welcoming, especially in our school where there isn’t a large population of Latinos in our school,” Chavez said. “Having the feel of home and not having to code switch or not talk about it, it is a really good feeling.”
