Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
WEST VALLEY CITY — In a bid to encourage interest in college, particularly among those in West Valley City, Salt Lake Community College is hosting a gathering featuring lowriders, the flashy, low-riding vehicles equipped with hydraulic systems that allow them to hop up and down.
Friday's event, Hop into College Cruise Night, will be held at Salt Lake Community College's West Valley Center at 3460 S. 5600 West in West Valley City. It goes from 6 to 9 p.m. and is open to the public.
"This event is geared toward building a bridge between lowrider culture and Salt Lake Community College. The community is invited to learn about the opportunities and resources SLCC has to offer while exploring the history, artistry, identity, cultural expression and connections to social justice through the lens of lowriding," reads an announcement for the event.
Lowriding has its roots in the Mexican American community of the Los Angeles, California, area, according to Smithsonian magazine, but its popularity has since spread, said Idolina Quijada, manager at the West Valley Center. At any rate, it's a big family attraction, and she said the hope with Friday's event, in part, is to draw younger members of the West Valley City area to acquaint them with Salt Lake Community College and the idea of one day attending college.
"This normalizes the college experience to the children," she said, making the college campus a familiar place.
What's more, she said, seeing the diverse staff of the West Valley Center helps those taking part visualize themselves in such positions. West Valley City, a minority-majority community, is one of the most diverse cities in Utah with more than 41% of residents identifying as Latinos, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures.
"They see us doing this, running this, and we look like them," she said. "We build that trust with that community, and they can come to us, ask anything."
Friday's event, now in its third year, will feature food, a "Hop Off" contest among the car owners, representatives from around 20 community college departments, lowrider bicycles and more.
