Latino Student Association adviser Carmen Rudin said her experience growing up in Guatemala, where one faces myriad difficulties to achieve a better life, encouraged her to work with Latino students at Park.

Having lived in the United States for 17 years now, Rudin said she hopes to show Latino students that with hard work, they can go anywhere they want in life.

“What I bring to them is showing how the possibilities are endless in this country, that you can advance if you really want to,” Rudin said.

Rudin said through music, food, dance and games, the group provides Latino students a place to interact and connect with other students.

“Normally it’s just to talk about school, how they can help other friends and as a community inside of a community to work better,” Rudin said.

Sophomore Giovanna Contreras, who said she participated in the group last year and plans to participate again this year, said the group intends to bring Latino students of different backgrounds together.

“Our goal is to unite and bring together all the Latino community in the school together,” Contreras said.

Though Rudin said she usually leaves much of the group agenda up to the members themselves, this year she wants to encourage students to branch out at Park.

“I want them to be more involved, that they really look into what things they can do to feel like ‘this is my school,’ feel they are proud they are part of St. Louis Park High School,” Rudin said.

Rudin said more Latino students attend Park this year than in any of her past five years working with the group. She said she hopes the larger number of Latino students will lead to higher participation in school groups.

“I wish that there were Latino kids in the Student Council, that would be great, because there’s 132 Latino students in this school this year,” Rudin said.

Another aspect Rudin said she hopes to focus on as a group involves getting scholarships and paying for a college education.

“Even though we have people here with College Possible and other counselors to help, sometimes it’s really good if you can relate to somebody who already went through that system,” Rudin said.

Rudin said she encourages Latinos to take advantage of the support the group offers, especially if they have not yet joined a school club or organization.

“I will say that this is a great opportunity if you never had been in a group before to start with this and gain confidence about yourself who you are,” Rudin said. “Once you know who you are, you can do so much.”

Contreras said the group is culturally rich because of the different backgrounds of its members. She said her mother came to the U.S. from Mexico around 25 years ago and her father came to the U.S. around the same time from Honduras.

Contreras said she hopes the group members can educate students outside the group about Latino cultures and traditions through performances and community outreach.

“I feel that we’re special, in a way, and we can share our culture with the school community,” Contreras said.

According to Rudin, the group generally meets twice a month, and currently awaits approval from principal Scott Meyers on a starting point and schedule for the group.