Tracy High School (THS) is a proud holder of many clubs that students can participate in, being a fun and easy way to get involved with the school. At THS the Latinos Unidos Club is where students of all kinds of Latino descents come together to support, educate, and celebrate each other’s cultures.

Nikolas Pineda, a senior at THS, is the Latinos Unidos Club historian that shares information about the club.

The Latinos Unidos club has been around for quite some time, however, this is Pineda’s first year. The main goal is to bring the Latino community at Tracy High together to spread their culture. This creates a safe space for the community and has helped form meaningful friendships and connections.

Nisla Fonseca, one of the many great Spanish teachers at Tracy High School, is the club adviser.

“Mrs. Fonseca helps us so much with everything we do. I couldn’t imagine the club without her,” Pineda said.

Fonseca’s role is to help fund the club, give ideas, and coordinate the clubs’ events alongside the club members.

“Si se puede,” or in English, “You can do it,” is a piece of advice Fonseca wants to give all her students. As the adviser, Fonseca gets to see her students grow through the years and fortunately can throw a few Latino graduations each year.

Latino graduations are different from any typical graduation. It is the celebration of one of the first members of someone’s family that has accomplished graduating from high school. This is a huge accomplishment for first generation Hispanic families since they did not always get to privilege to graduate. Many left their homes and migrated to America in hopes for a better life.

Ashley Valencia, the president of the Latinos Unidos Club, added that the club maintains an enjoyable environment.

“Everyone is just like a giant group of friends,” Valencia stated.  As the club president, Valencia’s main role is to plan meetings and contribute to the planning of club events.

During the month of September, the month of Hispanic Heritage, the Latinos Unidos Club has accomplished and is working towards many exciting things. On September 16^th, the club hosted a secondhand booth where they put together gift boxes for those in need at the fair. They are also currently working on their float for the homecoming parade that will be taking place Friday, September 29^th in downtown Tracy.

Latinos Unidos has a solid number of club members, but of course the more the merrier. If you are interested in joining or want more information on the club, all you need to do is direct message (DM) the Latinos Unidos Instagram page @ths_latinos_unidos (click here) to get the weekly Remind code. Meetings take place every Wednesday.

Joining a club at Tracy High can be beneficial for students for college applications and gives you a chance to be more involved. If you are looking to get in touch with Latino culture or are interested in educating yourself on it, Latinos Unidos is the club to join. You are guaranteed to create fun memories and long-lasting friendships.

“One thing I’ve learned from joining is that the Latino community sticks together and seems more like family than friends,: Pineda closed.