The Multicultural Awareness (MAC) Club is gaining popularity and hosting more events this year with President Ray Stewart.

“Ray Stewart is a big part of it being club president,” Director of Diversity Armando Gilkes said. “He last year took the initiative to make the club more multicultural. Culture fest was really successful, and he actively recruited students who were not African American to make it more representative of the student body.”

The club is planning monthly events including celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, LGBT History Month, Women’s History, Black History Month and many others.

“It gives students a voice whose voices may not have been heard up to this point.” Gilkes said. “Also to share students’ stories with the larger community. The main thing is to help raise the awareness of the community about people who come from different backgrounds.”

The MAC is collaborating with other De Smet clubs as well as other schools such as Incarnate Word Academy, Villa Duchesne and St. Louis University high school for events and celebrations.

“Part of it was to try to build a great sense of community outside the school,” Gilkes said, “and give students from this school the opportunity to interact with students from other schools.”