When junior Arielle Turullols joined the Spanish club, also known as the Spanish National Honor Society for students in Spanish 3 or higher, she did not realize how much she would learn about herself and her background. Little did she know she would be helping others with the same experiences she once went through, only now through the role of club president.

Arielle Turullols is mixed-race, being Chinese, Mexican and white, but grew up mostly speaking Spanish. Although this helped her feel connected to her Mexican heritage she still felt she was lacking a part of her cultural identity.

“[My cultural identity is] where Spanish club, and taking Spanish class at Homestead came through,” Turullols said. “Both have helped me learn more about my background than I would’ve known otherwise and have been worthwhile experiences to participate in.”

Through the club, Turullols said she learned she actually has more in common with other  Mexican students than she expected to because of the way she was raised.

“The idea of a parent being unfairly overprotective of the daughter compared to the son, and the importance of family and prioritizing that over everything else [were things I identified with],” Turullols said. “Prior to this [club] I had never really thought about why some aspects of my life were different from my friends and so that was definitely an eye opener.”

Due to this connection she found in the Spanish club, Turullols decided to apply for president so she could share what she has learned.

“My goal is to help others who feel the same way or are simply interested in exploring different cultures in a fun environment,” Turullols said.

Turullols said being president has been what she expected, as she has to run meetings and events as well as help with the overall management of the club. However it can be a bit overwhelming for her due to the heavy workload.

“The officers are just like the rest of the students,” Turullols said. “We get busy, overwhelmed and are doing the best we can at the moment.”

Although being president can get overwhelming at times, Turullols said it’s extremely rewarding to see her hard work paying off.

“I’ve definitely learned a lot more about how to appreciate different skills and efforts from officers than I would’ve known otherwise,” Turullols said. “I’ve learned the values of effective collaboration and planning. By being able to work well with others and work as a team rather than as individuals, we’re able to get a lot more done in a shorter amount of time.”