On Thursday, September 5th, CASA gears up the new semester by welcoming students to a piñata-making party with paletas for everybody to enjoy.
The “Piñatas & Paletas” event organized by CASA welcomes all students to drop by and check out their center located in LRC-236 on Butte College’s Main Campus. A generous amount of cardboard and colored tissue paper was laid on a table for students to use in their piñata craft-making.
Fruit bowls and various flavors of paletas, provided by La Flor de Michoacán, were made available as snacks. Energetic Spanish pop music played in the background while students diligently cut through the tissue paper into fringes to layer onto the cardboard shapes.
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Paletas of various flavors in a cooler, CASA Center (LRC-236), Butte College Main Campus, September 5, 2024.
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Fruit bowls on a table, CASA Center (LRC-236), Butte College Main Campus, September 5, 2024.
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Step-by-step piñata instructions, CASA Center (LRC-236), Butte College Main Campus, September 5, 2024.
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Crafts table and instructions, CASA Center (LRC-236), Butte College Main Campus, September 5, 2024.
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Liliana Guzman, Grant Manager for CASA, says that they settled on piñata-making as they were looking for something fun to do in the second week of class. Along with it being a great opportunity for students to hang out and express their culture through craft.
She explained that the Center for Access, Success, and Achievement (CASA) was established by Butte College in 2022, after receiving a five-year grant from the Developing Hispanic Serving Institution program. They aim to assist Latinx students by providing resources and services to ensure their academic success.
CASA has achieved this with their Student Success Specialists who work closely with students to offer one-on-one support, along with making social, emotional, and academic workshops available. They can even help with a student’s matriculation process and teach financial literacy.
Student Assistant, Isai Aispuro, focuses on helping and welcoming students to the center, while also playing a part in organizing events for the program. She explains that her favorite part of working for CASA is the close community aspect, such as becoming friends with students and developing connections.
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Isai Aispuro – Student Assistant, CASA Center (LRC-236), Butte College Main Campus, September 5th 2024
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Students making piñatas, CASA Center (LRC-236), Butte College Main Campus, September 5, 2024.
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Liliana Guzman – Grant Manager (Pictured Right), CASA Center (LRC-236), Butte College Main Campus, September 5, 2024.
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Two piñatas hang on a wall, CASA Center (LRC-236), Butte College Main Campus, September 5, 2024.
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Damian Martinez cited “hospitality and sense of belonging” as the important aspects of the CASA center. With this being his first year at Butte, he sees himself continuing to participate in the program and is excited to meet new friends.
With the Fall 2024 semester going into full speed, enjoying paletas and making piñatas was a great way for CASA to reel in new students to their close-knit community.
