The Latine Psychological Association offers a safe space for students

By Kasandra Arreola

Nearly a third of Cal Poly Humboldt’s student population is Latine, and with many students coming from all over, it can be quite a culture shock. The Latine Psychological Association (LPA) is trying to change that by creating a welcoming community space.

Along with those culture shock, many students have a difficult time transitioning and battle mentally with where to go and who to talk to. 

“Because of the stark contrast of culture here, you know, [the LPA] is a place where they [students] can feel at home and relate to other students and just bring in different aspects of the Latine culture. We kind of noticed that there was a pretty large percentage of Latine students in the psychology department, and we didn’t really see any club or organization that represented that group,” said Hedie Bojorquez, an officer of the LPA.

The LPA has officially been active since fall 2024 and has since hosted movie gatherings, craft nights, hikes and guest speakers. Members of the LPA gather in the Balabanis House every other Monday from 5-6 p.m., where they create a sense of community for not just Latine students, but anyone who needs the space. 

LPA’s roots were planted two years ago when Dr. Brandilynn Villarreal, the advisor and CPH faculty member, applied for grants to get it started. Villarreal is a developmental psychologist who focuses on motivation and self-regulation. Villarreal shared the kinds of discussions that are had in the meetings and the intersections that students explore, particularly with first-generation students.

“Students brought up feeling homesick, imposter syndrome, not having money, not knowing what to do in this space, or not seeing people like yourself,” Villarreal said. 

Chairperson, Keith Flores, feels that LPA has given a space for those who feel like outsiders to find community. 

“We’re a family. It’s, in all honesty, the community that I had been fighting for so hard freshman year just to build and I felt really kind of outcasted,” Flores said. “I feel like everybody has their own story being an outcast, but mine comes from being a mixed student who’s first-generation, who had no background knowledge as to how to get into and get through college, so building this network of people who are just abundantly helpful and really friendly and really funny.”

Different backgrounds make for a diverse group of leaders in the LPA. Bojorquez and Flores hail from San Diego, where the Latine population is abundant. Others, like Angelina Floreale, LPA secretary, have called Humboldt home since she was 5 years old. Floreale, who is navigating her own culture as a Colombian-American, seeks to guide those who may not feel all that comfortable in their culture.

“I hope to kind of be that voice when we do tabling and things, to be like, people don’t look at me and think I’m Latine at all,” said Floreale.

The current political climate has sparked stress for students, especially those who are undocumented. 

“Access to resources in a community that supports and cares and creates spaces for people to process what’s happening and what does happen, or what has happened, that can make a huge difference when it comes to intergenerational trauma,” Floreal said.

Floreale spoke on the LPA’s efforts to come together to support the psychological stress students face in hard times and how finding community is necessary.

“We are pro human in every sense of the word,” Floreale said. “We are pro woman, pro queer, pro brown, pro trans, pro everyone that needs help and love and care in this community, because it’s a hard time for all of us.”