SARAH YORO | staff writer

After dropping off the campus radar, A.M.I.G.O.S. looks to rebuild.

A.M.I.G.O.S., An Inter-Cultural Group of Students, strives to help minority students on campus, especially those of Hispanic and Latino descent, find a sense of belonging in a university predominately made up of Caucasian students.

“We provide a place where students can be themselves,” senior business administration major and co-vice president David Monzon said. “Latinos in general have a strong sense of family, so when you separate yourself from family it’s difficult in general, especially for Latinos. So we provide an environment where they feel like they’re back at home.”

The idea for A.M.I.G.O.S. came to mind approximately seven or eight years ago when a group of students found themselves lost in the APU community because of their minority.

“They started reaching out to other students that were either commuters or lived on campus, but many of them would leave after their first semester,” junior communication studies major and co-vice president Jessica Garcia said. “They started noticing a pattern—why are these minority students, mostly Latinos, leaving? They wanted to reach out to them so they started meeting, but after they all graduated, the club ceased.”

After dropping off the campus radar, A.M.I.G.O.S. made the decision to rebuild their once prevalent ethnic club.

“We’re really trying to restart the A.M.I.G.O.S. group because, for a while we kind of dropped off... there weren’t enough people to really get things organized and structured,” senior nursing major and secretary Jus Almario said. “We’re really just starting from scratch and last semester was our first semester with our officers.”

To prevent the club from vanishing in the future, next year the officers look to fill in their shoes with enthusiastic and committed individuals, ready to take on leadership positions.

“Next year, we won’t be in office, but we will recruit people to keep it going even after we’re gone,” Garcia said.

On top of recruiting new officers, the organization also wants to multiply in member size.

“We want to increase our member size and get the word out that we exist and just let APU know what we’re about,” Monzon said. “I think ethnic organizations are often under the radar—not too many people know what time they meet or that there are organizations like this one.”

The group encourages all students, no matter what ethnicity, to join their organization.

“This group is here for everyone one campus. It’s not just for Latino students, it’s for anyone who wants to get to know the Latino culture,” junior nursing major Yvette Irizarry said. “It’s a time for fellowship, a time to grow together spiritually and physically since we bring food from our culture every week.”

A.M.I.G.O.S. meets on the second and fourth Weds. every month in Multi-Media Room 4 at 8 p.m.

“We don’t ask too much of anyone,” Irizarry said. “We just ask that you come with an open mind, an open heart and just willing to have fun.”