By Quinnie Jenkins
On October 7, 2025, the Western Campus of Cuyahoga Community College celebrated life, unity, and culture at this year’s event, Brewing Heritage.
Taking place in the Galleria: Brewing Heritage aims to achieve the goal of introducing Hispanic heritage to students, giving them a chance to educate themselves while also having fun on campus. Some of the many ways students had the chance to learn about Hispanic culture were by exploring different tables. Across the Galleria floor, the tables were set up so students could try coffee, learn about the Al Lopez Academic Alliance, and create their own coasters.
The Al Lopez Academic Alliance co-hosted the event with Student Life, where Program Manager Jessica Cartagena would be the first table students see. Jessica introduced the purpose of Brewing Heritage, gave information about the Al Lopez Academic Alliance, and let students roam what was offered. But for her, this was so much more personal than a student engagement.
“Culture is something to be proud of,” Cartagena said. “What I want students to get from today is that culture is something meant to be shared and something to be proud of.” And as program manager of the Al Lopez Academic Alliance, Cartagena wants students to learn, grow, and achieve one step at a time.
The students themselves had a chance to learn, and the Hispanic student population felt represented by their school. “It’s good to be seen, and it feels better seeing different people learn about our culture.’ – said one student. One student had no idea Tri-C did events like these for students, but they were overjoyed to see it.
The highlight of Brewing Heritage is the coffee tasting, where an independent Cafe shared its culture. Cafe Roig is a Puerto Rican shop where Fiancés Dino Tovanche and Ivy Roig take charge as owners. Together, they brought both hot and iced coffee for everyone to try and gave a brief on how Cafe Roig came to be.
It started with an idea between Ivy and Dino, a simple conversation that sparked a beautiful business. Ivy asked Dino if he would ever open a coffee shop, and from that moment, the two started creating recipes together. As they created those recipes, they found Centro Ville, a Hispanic vendor community that welcomed them with open arms.
From creating coasters to tasting coffee, Tri-C offered a variety of learning opportunities outside the classroom. Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month was one more way to benefit not only student learning but student morale.
