Community and Culture Take Center Stage at ISLA’s Primer Cafecito

October 7, 2025

Baruch College’s Initiative for the Study of Latin America (ISLA) kicked off National Hispanic Heritage Month with its signature fall event, Primer Cafecito—a celebration of culture, community, and academic engagement.

Now in its sixth year, the September 16 event welcomed nearly 100 first-year, transfer, international, and continuing students. Attendees discovered academic programs, clubs and organizations, study abroad opportunities, and plentiful campus resources – all while meeting new friends over coffee and light snacks.

ISLA is a Home

“Our mission is to amplify the voices of Latin America and the Caribbean, celebrating and sharing their rich cultures with the Baruch campus,” said Laisha De León (’26), ISLA’s coordinator of student affairs and a business communications major.

“ISLA is more than a resource—it is a home where you are uplifted, empowered, and supported. Together, we can build a brighter future.”

What ISLA Means to Students

Lisbeth Tavarez (’27), who moved from the Dominican Republic from the United States in 2022, was eager to join ISLA when she enrolled at Baruch.

“Being surrounded by people from the same heritage is beneficial since they support one another,” said Tavarez, a political science and corporate communication major with a minor in international business. “ISLA is engaged with advocating for immigrants and Latinos which is what really resonated with me.”

For Oliver Saget (’27), a finance major with a minor in psychology, ISLA’s strength lies in its ability to bring people together.

“ISLA unites so many different organizations,” he said. “Seeing different organizations, clubs, student leaders, and faculty interact in one space makes Baruch feel like a true community. Even though we come from different backgrounds, we do share one thing in common.”

Justin Calzado (’27), a corporate communications major and SEEK student, sees club life as a way to “build your own trail.” He attended last year’s Primer Cafecito and is now an active member of the Student Advisory Board and president of Baruch’s radio station WBAB.

“It’s important for students to participate in campus organizations to learn that opportunities like this exist,” Calzado explained. “I want to help build the confidence of the next generation of leaders, especially my fellow Dominicans and other Hispanics at Baruch, because representation is important in this world.”

About the ‘ISLA Familia’

Launched online in 2020 during the pandemic, ISLA promotes and nurtures the interdisciplinary study of Latin America—its languages, literature, arts, cultures, politics, societies, economies, geography, and environment—on the Baruch campus.

While Professor Stephanie Golob, ISLA’s founding director, is on fellowship leave, the initiative is being guided by Assistant Professor Victor Sierra Matute of the Modern Languages Department. He works hand-in-hand with student leaders Laisha De León, Karla Fernandez (digital director), and Justin Tejeda (president of the Student Advisory Board).

“In just five years, ISLA has grown beyond its beginnings,” reflected Golob.

“Our student leaders have embraced ISLA’s spirit of connecting students to opportunities and to one another,” she stated. “Through the efforts of the ISLA Team to develop a vibrant Student Advisory Board, whose members are the leaders of Baruch’s Latinx heritage clubs and other allied clubs, we have grown into an ‘ISLA Familia,’ a space where Baruch’s Latinx students, as well as students across all identities, can feel at home.”

Cross-campus Engagement

Numerous programs and departments across Baruch connected with students at the event, including the Starr Career Development Center, Health and Wellness Center, Counseling Center, Black Male Initiative, Baruch Immigrant Student Success Initiative, Honors Program, Lawrence N. Field Center for Entrepreneurship, Office of Student Life, Fellowship Office, Writing Center, and SOMOS.

Discover ISLA: Learn more by following ISLA on LinkedIn and Instagram.

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