Monday will mark the close of Hispanic Heritage Month, but before then, Intercultural and Inclusiveness Services plans to continue stimulating the minds of Hispanics across campus.Today from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. in the Student Center lounge, IIS will present a panel of Hispanic professionals addressing topics affecting students as part of its “It Takes a Village: Cultural Awareness Series.”

“We are addressing a lot of different issues at the luncheon, but what we want to do is invite Hispanic community members to talk about things they would like to share in regard to their experiences, things they are working on and how it relates to our theme,” said Greg Trevino, the director of inclusiveness and IIS.

The guest speakers will incorporate their leadership experiences into the discussion and will tell how students they can apply this semester’s theme of rights, respect and responsibility to their lives, Trevino said.

“The panel will be made of Hispanic professionals in the community,” said Vera Perales, senior early childhood education major. “It will give students an opportunity to ask questions about anything, including struggles that brought them where they are now.”

While incorporating the semester’s theme, the Hispanic Heritage Month planning committee hopes to use this event to also bring out issues affecting Hispanics who are part of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, said Joanna Bernal, a co-coordinator of the Hispanic Heritage Month committee.

“The purpose is for it to follow the themed semester, but to also incorporate it in conjunction with National Coming Out Day,” Bernal said.

Event speakers will include TCU faculty member Valerie Martinez-Ebers, former Texas teacher of the year Gloria Voutos and the president of the Dallas Hispanic LGBT activist group, Perales said.

“Students should pay attention to what community leaders bring,” Trevino said. “We forget that our perspectives engage us in doing the things we do. We can learn a lot by seeing their perspectives.