Queensborough Captured the Energy of the FIFA World Cup During This Year's Hispanic Heritage Month Kick-Off
There was a palpable excitement in the air last Thursday as Queensborough came together to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with our third annual kick-off event, La Copa de la Cultura.
It’s a feeling that’s common during such events, but it felt magnified this time around because of this year’s theme: football (soccer).
All Hispanic/Latino Faculty and Staff Association members were dressed like referees, with clipboards and whistles to complete the ensemble. Meanwhile, each table, adorned with a grass-styled tablecloth, inflatable soccer ball and cleat balloons, had information about a Hispanic country's National Team.
Before that, however, HLFSA stood before the excited crowd — which needed the aforementioned whistles to grab their attention — and spoke about soccer, Hispanic representation at Queensborough, and their hopes for the event itself.
“I’m so excited to welcome all of you to our third annual Hispanic Heritage Month kick-off, La Copa de la Cultura,” said CUNY Office Assistant Grace Duran. “Today, we’re bringing together culture, community, and one of the world’s most beloved sports: soccer.”
Then, after similar remarks from other HLFSA members, the event was truly underway.
The event had music, authentic Hispanic cuisine provided in part by Rice & Beans Restaurant, a raffle draw, and even an extra celebration near the end, but the heart of this year’s event was the trivia.
Remember earlier when it was mentioned that the level of excitement was greater than usual this year? The seating arrangement played a major role in that. Each table didn’t just have information about a given team — attendees sitting at those tables were the team.
Prior to the start of HHM kick-off events, the HLFSA likes to give attendees the opportunity to cheer when their country of origin or ancestry is called. But this year, they had the chance to actually represent their country.
And they embraced the opportunity with gusto.
“I’m excited to be here to represent Mexico and my fellow Mexicans,” said student Sabrina Garcia.
“I’m representing Mexico right now, I love Mexico with all my heart,” said student Jessica Araujo.
Unsurprisingly, the two — along with almost everyone whose favorite countries had a designated table — formed teams to represent their country and bring home the proverbial gold.
The trivia tested the participants’ knowledge of culture and soccer, via five categories:
- Name That Song
- Name That Legend
- Wildest Football Moments
- Know The Rules
- Who Was Paying Attention
But what made this year’s competition unique was that it really leaned into the soccer theme.
The HLFSA didn’t just dress up as referees for the aesthetic — they acted the part too. Teams that answered correctly were given a point and a green card, while those who answered incorrectly lost a point and received a red card in turn. Once all the questions were asked, the referees got together and tallied the scores.
And after a hard-fought battle it was El Salvador that came out with the cup.
But the competition didn’t end there, as there was one more event teams battled it out in: a “Battle Cry Off.”
Each national team has a battle cry they shout to psyche themselves up, and each table was tasked with shouting it empathically to prove they had the most team spirit. And on cue, they did just that, filling the room with a crescendo of cheers, claps and table-pounding as each team cheered their hearts out.
Once each table had a go at it, the referees once again convened to decide who did it best.
As for the winner of that segment? Spain.
Though only two teams of the 12 were able to win, looking at how much fun everyone in the room had that day. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that everyone was a winner in the end.
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