By Alexis Poe

As part of Hispanic Heritage Month, SE student activities will sponsor The Legacy of Our Lives Sept. 15.

Raul Villarreal, area manager for General Motors and mentor of the Hispanic Initiative Team, will discuss how his Hispanic heritage has contributed to his journey and success.

Villarreal offered the best advice he said he can give.

“Focus on yourself and what you stand for,” he said.

Villarreal said he also will speak about the importance of students “finding [their] voice.”

As a member of the board of directors of SER–Jobs for Progress as well as serving on the advisory board for the Hispanic Scholarship Fund in Dallas, Villarreal has dedicated his life to giving other Hispanics the opportunity to succeed.

Following Villarreal’s speech, Grupo Pakal, a local arts company, will perform an ancient Mayan ceremonial dance.

Ricardo Alarcon, the group’s artistic director, said his mission “is to rescue the past and bring it to the future so it does not get lost.”

SE supplemental instruction coordinator Maria Delgado said students can look forward to an “event to celebrate the legacy of the Hispanic heritage.”

The event will be 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. in the SE Campus Ballroom. Refreshments will be served.