Celebrating Latinx Tradition at Cal State Fullerton With Grammy Award-Successful Poncho Sanchez

Lots of of supporters of Celebración de Cal State Fullerton gathered on the college Sunday, Oct. 2, to proclaim “¡Somos Titans!” (“We’re Titans!”) Beginning off with a Fiesta sponsor reception that includes mariachis, a pupil guitar trio, artwork and Latin delicacies, the group then moved on to the principle occasion: a live performance by Grammy Award-winning musician Poncho Sanchez and his Latin jazz band held within the college’s Meng Live performance Corridor. The occasion raised greater than $300,000 to help packages, scholarships and alternatives to profit CSUF Latinx college students. 

Sanchez, a well known conguero (a musician who performs the conga drums), has delighted audiences for greater than three a long time along with his mixture of Latin jazz, soul music, melodies and rhythms from a wide range of Latin and South American sources. He has drummed alongside such jazz greats as Tito Puente, Mongo Santamaria and Cal Tjader. 

And he does have hyperlinks to Cal State Fullerton. His musical director and trombone participant, Francisco Torres, is a college member on the college, and percussionist Giancarlo Anderson, is at the moment pursuing his Grasp of Music diploma with a give attention to jazz research and industrial music.

For the previous 4 years, CSUF has been acknowledged with Perception Into Range’s Larger Schooling Excellence in Range Award for championing range and inclusion. The college can be one in all solely 4 establishments within the nation to be named each a Fulbright Hispanic-Serving Establishment and a recipient of the Seal of Excelencia from Excelencia in Schooling, the nation’s premier authority in advancing Latinx pupil success.

CSUF President Fram Virjee welcomed the sold-out crowd and thanked the honorary co-chairs for the occasion: Vikki Vargas ’81 (B.A. communications), who serves as Southern California information bureau chief for NBC, and Gaddi Vasquez, who obtained an honorary diploma from the college in 2021 and has served in such roles as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in Rome in addition to director of the Peace Corps.

To help CSUF Latinx college students, go to https://fullerton.scalefunder.com/cfund/challenge/33076.