AHA Community Enjoys Cafe con Leche

The Academy of the Holy Angels recently hosted Café con Leche, a community building event that allows Hispanic and Latinx students, faculty, and staff to build connections and a greater sense of belonging.

AHA Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Daniele Holmes (AHA ’03) has organized Café con Leche during Hispanic Heritage Month each year since 2021.

Everyone gathered at the tent near the AHA peace pole on October 13. Students sat together and enjoyed Colombian baked treats, including pan de bono, buñuelos pequeños, and empanadas. Faculty, staff, and students also enjoyed dancing to international hits.

See Beatriz Montes teaching Chloe how to dance here: CafeBeatrizMontes&Chloe23

Angels also participated in a trivia game, that challenged them to identify Hispanic cultural icons and dishes.

Participants shared that they and their families hail from Costa Rica, Trinidad, Puerto Rico, Ecuador, Colombia, and beyond. Some Angels who do not identify as Hispanic or Latinx stopped by to visit with friends, sample the food, and listen to the music. (Story continues below.)

At the college level, regular Café con Leche sessions offer support for students on their way toward their degrees and career goals, and provide an opportunity for students to ask questions and have their voices heard.

Founded by the School Sisters of Notre Dame in 1879, the Academy of the Holy Angels is the oldest private girls’ school in Bergen County. While AHA is steeped in Catholic tradition, this prestigious school serves young women from a broad spectrum of cultural and religious backgrounds. Many go on to study at some of the nation’s best universities, earning high-ranking positions in medicine, government, law, education, public service, business, arts, and athletics. The Academy’s current leaders continue to further the SSND mission to provide each student with the tools she needs to reach the fullness of her potential—spiritually, intellectually, socially, and physically, by offering a first-rate education in a nurturing environment where equal importance is placed on academic excellence, character development, moral integrity, and service to others.