If you ever ask us what our favorite thing about Colombia is, we will most definitely say it’s its people. Everyone’s happiness is contagious, and you’re guaranteed to laugh if there’s a Colombian around. Growing up in Bogota and Cali, our lives were shaped by this cheerfulness and kindness of those around us, and we wanted to bring that to Hopkins.
When we started as first-year students, there was no Colombian student organization where we could come together and share experiences. We wanted to create a space where we could organize events relevant to Colombian culture, dance, and, of course, eat arepas. After talking with Maria—a student from the Class of 2023 also hailing from Bogota—we pitched the idea to friends and other people, submitted all the required forms to Hopkins’ Leadership Engagement and Experiential Development (LEED) office, and patiently waited for months. And that’s how Club Colombia—or the Colombian Student Association—came to be.
Although we just started as an organization this semester, we couldn’t wait to spread Colombia’s vibrancy and culture to the Hopkins community. During our first event, we made arepas in the kitchen in Wolman Hall and watched “Encanto.” We played Colombian music, enjoyed arepas and other Colombian foods (like Colombiana soda, bocadillo, and Milo), and met people from all over campus.
But this event was just the beginning. Soccer is a crucial aspect of Latin American culture, and we wanted to bring that to Hopkins as well. Towards the beginning of the Spring 2023 semester, we had the idea of hosting a soccer cup where Hopkins students could come together around this sport, no matter their soccer experience. We talked to the Brazilian Student Association and, soon enough, we were presenting our idea to the Student Government Association (SGA). Planning the event wasn’t easy; everyone in our club worked very hard to make it happen. We put up hundreds of flyers around campus and reposted the event on social media. When creating the teams, we tried to make sure everyone got their first option and ordered all sorts of things—from custom-made trophies to supplies to make ice cream cones and protein bars for the players. In the end, we had over 100 undergraduate and graduate student players representing eight Latin American countries: Colombia, Brazil, Peru, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Mexico, and Honduras.
When the day of the event came, the entire executive board for Club Colombia arrived early at the practice field to set up. We started playing Latino music, put up a table with popcorn and snow cones, and organized supplies for each of the teams. Stephanie from the Puerto Rico Student Association and Victor from the Brazilian Student Association were there to help out as well. A couple of hours later, everyone started to come in. Each game played was very exciting; we loved seeing each of the teams celebrate after a goal and recover from setbacks. During concession, we enjoyed Venezuelan arepas from the Baltimore business AREPI. Then, we all gathered to watch the final between Honduras and Argentina. In the end, the winner of the tournament was Argentina!
The best part about Copa America was watching everyone come together to support their teams. We saw old friends we had not seen in a long time and met new people we are now looking forward to seeing again. Some of the players’ families came to the event to support their team as well. Having this opportunity to relax and meet other people during Reading Period was truly special.
As we both enter our senior year (time went by so fast!), we want to continue planning fun events where we can all come together and enjoy Colombia’s culture and cheerfulness. Founding and leading Club Colombia’s initiatives is something we’ll never forget about from our time at Hopkins, and we are grateful for all the friends and great experiences we’ve had.
