From left, Adam Goushaw of Rockford, Michigan; Kimmia Fotovat of Naperville, Illinois;
Kennedy Jester of Fort Wayne, Indiana; Ana Boman, Spanish lecturer; Valentina Brooks
of Greenfield, Indiana; Meara Finnegan of Blissfield, Michigan; and James Kellerstrass
of Berrien Springs, Michigan, president of the Study Abroad Club, stand in front of
the Day of the Dead altars at Trine University. (Photos by Stephen Cluckey)
For the second year in a row, students in Trine University’s Spanish minor and students
in the Alpha Beta Nu Hispanic Honorary Society collaborated with students in the Study
Abroad Club to celebrate the Day of the Dead (Dia de Muertos) on Nov. 1 and 2.
The students created two altars, placed in the Rick L. and Vicki L. James University
Center, to honor loved ones who passed away.
The students brought photos and personal mementos to honor their beloved deceased
relatives and friends, including pets.
They decorated the altars with images of their home state flowers, marigolds, candles
and skulls. The marigolds and candles represent the fragility of life, and the flowers
and candles are believed to show the deceased the path to the living world on Nov.
1 and 2.
Altars are very important in the Day of the Dead celebration, since they are where
the ofrendas (offerings) are placed to honor the dearly departed.
Study Abroad Club students provided paper butterflies and invited Trine students and
staff to write the names of their beloved deceased on them. The students hung more
than 120 of the paper butterflies on the wall above the altars in the shape of a butterfly.
The second altar was created in honor of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, one of the most
influential female artists of the 20thcentury. The altar was decorated with some of her pictures, paintings and other items
to celebrate her life.
The altars will be on display until Thursday, Nov. 3.
Erich Barlow, adjunct faculty member for TrineOnline and program matter expert for the university’s Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence program, is quoted in a new InformationWeek article on data governance.
A hero on the battlefield and the gridiron, Rocky Bleier said many people supported him on his journey and encouraged those at Trine University’s 21st annual Scholarship Gala to do the same for students.