Associated Student Productions hosted a “Comedy and Cupcakes” student event that featured American standup comedian Cristela Alonzo on Tuesday night. Students enjoyed catered cupcakes as Alonzo spoke about her life and professional career as the first Latina to create and star in her own US primetime comedy.

About 80 students attended the event which honored and highlighted Latinx Heritage month. Cupcakes were distributed to students once they showed their required school IDs and medical clearance check upon arrival. Alonzo did a short stand up segment, followed by a Q&A, and concluded the event with a meet and greet won by random audience members. 

Alonzo told the audience how her family and personal life impacted the start of her career. “ My mom died when I was 22 years old. I thought that if I could make people laugh with jokes about my mom, maybe that could help me deal with her death myself. That’s the thing that got me my TV show. That’s the thing that got me my break in Hollywood, it was actually me just talking about my family life and story,” said Alonzo. 

Alonzo also revealed her hardships as a Latina trying to succeed in the entertainment industry, “ I started out in theatre and they didn’t have many roles and opportunities to cast Latina girls like me. I realized that if I wanted to make it in Hollywood I would have to do it myself, and that’s what I did. I became the first Latina to write my own comedy series and star in a Pixar movie.”

ASP Event Director and third year Psychology student, Jocelynne Leon, was the head organizer for the event. Leon detailed her favorite moment from the night, “My favorite part was the meet and greet. Students were able to get an autograph and picture with Cristela. This was memorable because originally we had planned to have only four students win a meet and greet with her. However, she was kind enough to talk to more than the four winning students. As I helped with the meet and greet, I heard how much Cristela positively impacted these students’ lives. I felt so rewarded that students were able to gain something from this event.”

Leon expressed what she learned from the event and stated why it was culturally important, “Something I took away from the night is that we need to continue hosting events that center underrepresented groups. I specifically chose to bring Cristela to celebrate Latinx Heritage Month. Even though there isn’t a big amount of Latinx’s on campus, it’s important to host events where we feel welcome.”

Christina Gomez, a fourth year History major and Executive Vice President for Associated Students, moderated the Q&A portion of the event. Gomez shared her experience as a moderator for the event as a Latina herself, “I was able to meet Cristela beforehand so I felt very comfortable on stage. I felt very motivated from this event, and as a young Latina it was amazing to hear how successful Cristela became and how she overcame many obstacles. I thought it was a great experience and I felt so proud of the culture and heritage.”

Kyle Brame, Associated Students Senator of Student Resources and fourth year double major in Business Management and Economics, attended the comedy event and weighed in on his experience, “ It was an awesome experience to learn about Cristela’s childhood and the forces that drove her to become a comedian. It was especially inspiring to hear how she became the first Latina to star in a Pixar film.”

“I found Cristela’s act to be not only funny but also educational. People who come to events like this want to see other students and have that dialogue with our community. It is a great opportunity for students to ask questions and gain insight from an inspiring speaker,” Brame continued. 

For more information and upcoming entertainment event dates, check out the Associated Students website, as.sonoma.edu.