LatinXDuke

By Adan Hernandez

I followed the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) Duke chapter for a semester to get a look at what the individual board members and participants experience in a semester. Their identity was key in understanding these individuals' stories and motivations. The club had a successful semester and I attempted to capture the work that the board does and what SHPE stands for.

By following and documenting the individuals in the group and the group as a whole I can say that I grew in my perspectives and what it means to be Latinx. It was very difficult to be able to put all the work that was done in a semester into a single video, as well as trying to capture individuals' personalities through pictures. This was an experience that will be unforgettable for myself and I hope that the people included in my project can appreciate it.

The most surprising thing that I found while documenting the club was how varied everyone was,yet, the fact that their heritage was shared in some sense meant that the friendships between them came naturally. As well, it was eye opening to see how many pieces had to work for the club to be successful in accomplishing all its goals throughout the semester and how much that could be attributed to the fact that the board members knew what it meant for the club to be successful.

Overall, it is an experience I will hold dear to my heart for years to come and I hope that SHPE can keep growing in the future.