In a Hispanic-dominated population of more than 5000 students, Latinos for Latinos serves as a pillar for the Alexandria City High School Hispanic community. L4L came from the knowledge that school resources aren’t enough for the needs of ACHS and the city.
Darwin Salazar, senior at ACHS, president and chair founder of L4L, noticed “there [was] a club for everything, except this.”
So, Salazar and his colleagues set out to fill the gap.
Salazar said the club brings “light to a lot of the problems the Latino community has” in Alexandria.
Within just a year, “four people turned into ten, ten turned into 40.”
While many other clubs present cultural representation at ACHS, L4L is set apart by their connection to the outside community. They have a goal of connecting people to their interests and meeting people where they are.
This includes starting tutoring programs, initiating food drives, attending cultural events and partnering with other city organizations.
One of the club’s programs, Titan to Titan peer tutoring, seeks to reach further than the school’s other tutoring programs, which are “sometimes not enough,” according to Amel Mohammad, Co-Chief of Ally Outreach for L4L.
The L4L club has the unique ability to reach non-English speaking students, whether it’s working with other clubs for accommodations, or fulfilling the need themselves.
For many people, according to Mohammed, “it has helped and we have promoted [tutoring] to people who wouldn’t know about it otherwise.”
Along with tutoring, L4L provides other services to the community.
Emily Torres, who was elected as Vice President last November, champions the club’s food drives.
Salazar said their previous food drives at ACHS didn’t reach much of the community, but once they brought the food to communities like Chirilagua, the food was “gone in 15 minutes.”
In addition, L4L collaborates with nonprofit organizations to meet the interests and needs of its members. The wide range of interests in the club provides opportunities as each member can utilize their strong suits.
All three members have different interests, with Salazar and politics, Torres and business and Mohammed with STEM. They utilize their strengths to run the club to the best of their abilities and take it in new directions.
While their hands are extended to the community, a part of L4L remains in the school as well. The club participates in school events that represent culture, community and inclusion, like Hispanic Heritage Month.
According to Salazar, “Those celebrations are more like hope.”
Not only has the club made an impact on the wider Alexandria community, but it has left a lasting impression on the individuals who run it.
Torres said being a part of the club taught her how to be an active member of the community.
Her participation reminds her and her peers that “even though we’re young, we can do something.”
Mohammed and Salazar share this sentiment with Torres, saying they feel L4L is a place to learn about their community and become better leaders.
As all three members are seniors this year, they hope to leave a legacy for future members to build on.
“The only direction to go now is up,” Mohammed said “They already have the foundation built for them.”
Salazar said that if nothing else, L4L has formed an impenetrable family. “Like a family, we don’t always agree, but at the end of the day we work together.”
