Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month, and Weber State University opened its celebrations on Sept. 17 by inviting some of Utah’s luminaries to speak at the Leading for Impact event in the Shepherd Union Wildcat Theater. Students gathered to hear multicultural experts Yudi Lewis, Nubia Peña and Laís Martinez speak.

Lewis, WSU’s Hispanic-Serving Initiatives executive director, works for the success of WSU’s Hispanic and Latino students by encouraging and offering support from enrollment to graduation.

“Someone opened the door for me, and I want to do the same for anyone anywhere,” Lewis said.

The importance of education was a primary theme among the speakers as they addressed questions submitted by students before opening the discussion to a full Q&A. Lewis, a first-generation college attendee, told a story of her grandmother. With a third-grade education, Lewis’s grandmother created “A school without walls,” where she taught classes up to the third grade.

“We cannot solve all the world’s problems; we can have an impact on a small community,” Lewis said.

Nubia Peña, senior advisor on Equity and Opportunity and director of the Utah Division of Multicultural Affairs, also comes from an education-minded family. Her own grandmother was an educator despite only receiving a fifth-grade education.

“Education is a gateway for your life trajectory to change,” Peña said.

Peña watched her mother work with disabled people and learned from how her mother showed respect and dignity toward everyone.

“Dignity is inherent in everyone,” Peña said.

Laís Martinez, assistant commissioner for Belonging and Opportunity for the Utah System of Higher Education and once a non-traditional student, understands firsthand the challenges that students face. Martinez has been firm in her commitment to aid and assist those who might otherwise might not have this opportunity.

“I know the power of education,” Martinez said.

Martinez sees education as a sacred and liberating power. She has worked with leaders in government, business, higher education, and statewide communities to close the disparity between underrepresented and privileged communities, in efforts to bring greater equality to the state.

Upcoming events to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at Weber State include a keynote address, a Spanish slam poetry contest, and a Latin art exhibit throughout October.