Join in and sing at Karaoke Night presented by the Hispanic American Leadership Organization (HALO) and the Spanish Club. The event is on Friday, March. 25, from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Lake Huron Room of Oakland Center. Students can sing whatever songs they choose in whatever language they desire. This event is welcome to all OU students, and food will be provided.

President of HALO and organizer of this event, Isabella Mahuad, states this event is an opportunity to bond and meet other students. Students can also learn about a culture unfamiliar to them and be exposed to new music.

“For me, it’s really a bonding opportunity for students at Oakland in general,” Mahuad said. “Everyone is welcome to join us. It’s just a good opportunity to meet other people and learn about a culture you may not be familiar with. Also, to get exposed to some new music. I think it’s a really nice opportunity. It’s a little before finals, so you can have space to decompress and meet others.”

President of Spanish Club Karen Saabedra said that this event is something fun for students to do on campus prior to finals. It is also an opportunity for students to learn Spanish and its music.

“It’s just something fun to do while on campus, for students to relax and do something fun before finals,” Saabedra said. “It’s an opportunity for students to learn Spanish and learn about Spanish music.”

The Karaoke Night event can also provide students with an educational experience. Mahuad mentions that there is much multiculturalism in Hispanic music. The night is a social event, while learning opportunities will also be available.

“I figured if people are interested in learning, we can make this like an educational experience,” Mahuad said. “There’s definitely a lot of multiculturalism that goes into different Hispanic music. Latin America is a diverse continent, so a lot of this music has African influences, Indigenous influences, European influences, American influences. So those are conversations we can have there and talk about the significance of certain things. But overall, it is going to be more of a social event. But, you know, there are learning opportunities while you’re there to learn about new genres, new songs, that kind of stuff.”

Due to COVID- 19, Mahaud states that students have been disconnected. This event gives students the chance to get out and socialize while being exposed to something new.

“I think, for the most part, it is just an opportunity to connect with other students,” Mahuad said. “Especially because of COVID-19, I feel like we’ve been disconnected. So this is really an opportunity to get out there, socialize, and also just be exposed to something new. Maybe put yourself out of your comfort zone and do some singing if that’s something you’re thinking about doing.”

Mahuad states that (HALO) hopes to get its name out to the campus community to ensure that students are aware of their organization. (HALO) aims to connect students with opportunities and provide them with fun experiences.

“We’re hoping that we are getting our name out there and people know that our organization exists,” Mahuad said. “We’re really here to support other students, connect them to opportunities and offer support in any way possible. We hope that by putting on events, people will learn about us and that we can provide some fun experiences for our current members. Just like a way for us all to bond.”

Saabedra discusses her reasons behind getting involved in Spanish Club and what she wanted to bring to the student body.

“I started as a member of the Spanish Club because I’m a Spanish education major,” Saabedra said. “I wanted to be able to teach others about the Spanish culture and for students to have the opportunity to learn Spanish. I want to be able to create more opportunities for students to learn Spanish and about the culture while also helping out the community.”

For additional information on (HALO) and Spanish Club, visit their Grizzorgs pages HALO/The Spanish Club.