UCF Celebrates Hispanic Latinx Heritage Month Posted Tuesday, September 21, 2021 @ 12:37 PM From the Dominican Republic to the Bronx, NY to Orlando – all the way up in her Tower (3) – Emelyne Vargas is a proud Resident Assistant, celebrating her roots this Hispanic Heritage Month. Vargas moved to Florida from the Bronx only two years ago, reflecting on the rich Hispanic culture that ran through the streets. “I’m from Fordham, just across the street from the university and very close to the well-known Bronx Zoo and NY Botanical Garden. I love the culture, the churros stand on the corner, the empanadas stand across the street,”. Vargas loves Hispanic music and its vast genres. She enjoys singing to Latin trap, pop and reggaeton, “especially Rauw Alejandro’s take on these genres,” Vargas adds. Dancing to classic bachata and salsa are also some of her favorite genres to get down to. Her enthusiasm for her neighborhood and culture shines through in her everyday life, stating, “Even with the dangers and lack of clean streets, I love to say I’m from the Bronx. I even have Bronx Girl stickers on my car. When people meet me, they often tell me they can tell I’m not from Florida. I have a heavy Bronx Dominican accent, I blast trap music and reggaeton in my 2008 Honda Civic (a car notorious for being owned by Dominican boys who do just that, blast music,) and I like to stick to my Bronx fashion with slides, Nike Air Force 1s, Air Jordans, or “Timbs” accompanying every outfit.” Vargas’s family in the Dominican Republic is from Santiago and Salcedo. Her relatives reside in both the city and rural areas, including the mountains! “I love being in the mountains with the cool air, herds of cows walking past, and trees full of delicious limoncillos,” she said, reflecting on her visits to see her family. Vargas loves to simply explore the Dominican Republic and all it has to offer including the food, beaches, mountains and people. Sharing that her favorite meal is mangu with fried cheese and eggs. Something Vargas wants people to understand about being Hispanic is that “being Hispanic can mean a lot of different things. My skin color may be very light, but I happen to identify more with the black community than the white community even though I identify as both.” Here at UCF, Vargas was involved in the Dominican Student Association her freshman year and is hoping to join once it starts up again. The club held fun meetings with guest speakers, such as a successful lawyer who started from the bottom “just like us,” she says. While she has yet to meet another person from the Bronx during her time as an RA, Vargas still holds out hope someone will come along. In the meantime, she is excited to start Dominican Student Association meetings up again, with her fellow RA. We thank you, Emelyne, for sharing your heritage and lively culture with the UCF community. Back