Families, students,and teachers gathered on Thursday, Jan. 31 to induct new members into the Westwood Diego Velasquez chapter of National Spanish Honor Society (NSHS). The induction ceremony had approximately 71 students in attendance whose parents amassed in the cafeteria. The ceremony lasted for half an hour and concluded with refreshments for all attendees.

To apply for NSHS, students were required to have above a grade of 92 in their Spanish class and each student had to fill out an application to be considered. These applications were then reviewed by NSHS sponsor, Ms. MilyBett Llanos-Gremillion and officers.

“Spanish, in terms of the culture and the language has always been my passion, and I want to ignite that same passion in my students,” Ms. Llanos said. “I think that this organization does just that because it promotes the culture and the community service aspect and seeing students use the language outside of the classroom is rewarding for me.”

During the ceremony, each new member was given a red and gold cord to wear around their neck, a candle to light from the Madre Vela (mother candle), and a script of the induction oath. The candle represented the promise which the inductees made to devote themselves to value the Spanish culture and language.

“I like that I get to go out of my comfort zone and learn about cultures in this ever-changing world,” Samer Salman ‘21 said. “Communication wise, we always need to diversify ourselves and Spanish definitely helps me do that and I love it.”

As a new member of NSHS, the inductees are now expected to actively participate in the many opportunities and events that NSHS does, such as, community service projects, scholarships, and trips.

“I wanted to grow my understanding of the Hispanic culture. This society seemed like an amazing opportunity to immerse myself in [it],” Arti Madan ‘21 said.

Along with Ms. Llanos, the NSHS Officers put in an immense effort to organize the event. They planned it out days before-hand and practiced their lines in Spanish that they would recite to the audience.

“I really enjoy getting to know new students and members and helping them learn more about this culture,” secretary Sejal Jain ‘20 said. “I love not just the leadership position and the opportunity to give back to my community, but being part of a bigger community with very valuable purposes.”

The induction ceremony ran smoothly from start to finish, creating a memorable beginning for new members.