Two local Hispanic leaders honored at celebration for Hispanic Heritage Month

SOUTH BEND, Ind.-- Two local leaders were honored Oct. 8 at La Casa de Amistad's annual Hispanic Heritage Month Community Celebration and Awards.

It's the fifth year La Casa and the City of South Bend have partnered on the awards. The program recognizes Hispanic leaders who work behind the scenes in the community. This year's honorees were Julia Cordova-Gurule and Susannah Bueno.

"The point of this is to really celebrate and honor those who do the hard work for our community, each and every day, but don't necessarily end up on the news," says South Bend Mayor James Mueller.

Cordova-Gurule has spent 30 years with the South Bend Community School Corporation. She works with migrant, immigrant and refugee students and multilingual learners across 22 northern Indiana counties. She said families in the Latino community are fearful right now. Her team works with community partners, including police, to check rumors about possible detentions so schools can give families accurate information.

"This is a community saying you're doing a good job," Cordova-Gurule says. "And this is a community saying, keep it up, because the work isn't done yet."

Bueno, a longtime interpreter in medical and court settings, said language access is about making sure people's voices are heard.

"I believe everybody has the right to be able to communicate in their own language," Bueno says.

The celebration also featured mariachi music, Latino vendors, a food truck, and an art piece made from stamps designed by La Casa's high school students. Felix Márquez-Snyder, a 2025 honoree, helped present this year's awards.

Hispanic Heritage Month runs through Oct. 15.