Agustina Gomez Cisterna remembers not knowing anyone going through what she was experiencing. Santiago Aguilera recalls a similar experience.
Thousands of miles from their homes — Argentina for Gomez Cisterna, a Louisville women's golfer, and Colombia for Aguilera, a men's swimmer for the Cardinals — they both longed for their cultures, their food, their language.
They missed home.
Connecting with others who had been through this was difficult. The school's Louisville International Family Enrichment program, known as LIFE, helped, but the diversity of circumstances in the group for international student-athletes made it difficult to create the familial feeling that she needed.
It triggered an idea, however.
"I was thinking to myself, 'Do we have a Hispanic or Latinx student-athlete organization?' And we didn't," Gomez Cisterna said. "So, I was like, 'We're going to start one. We're going to make it so all Latinx and Hispanic people can relate to and come together and have a little family.'"
Los Cardenales became that family.
Through the help of Monica Negrón, a former Louisville lacrosse player who worked in Louisville's student-athlete development office at the time, the student-athlete group waslaunched in 2020to create a space where Hispanic/Latinx student-athletes could share their cultures and connect with one another and campus affinity groups.
"The Hispanic/Latinx students wanted to kind of find a place where they felt at home," said Negrón, a Puerto Rican who now works on Louisville's campus as the director of Hispanic, Latinx and Indigenous initiatives.
Since it launched, Los Cardenales has cultivated a sense of home that had been missing for some student-athletes. This has been especially true for those like Aguilera and Gomez Cisterna, whose trips home during the year are rare.
"Having people that you can share your culture with, that share your beliefs, that share your manners, that grew up in a very similar scenario that you did, with the struggles, with the fun time … it's good to share because you can relate to them way easier than you can relate to a new culture," he added. "Having that group means you have your family, your own little group away from home."
Through its meetings, the group also has learned how diverse the different Hispanic/Latinx cultures are.
For much of its first year, Los Cardenales met virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic and shared "fun facts" about their countries through presentations. This year, the group began meeting in person and taking its cultural education up a notch. One meeting included dance lessons in salsa, merengue and bachata, among other steps. Food is a custom often shared during meetings, along with music.
"We all have very different cultures, but we still share a similar root," Aguilera said.
Moving forward, Aguilera said the group has three main goals: raising awareness, recruiting more student-athletes and engaging the community.
The group already has amplified awareness of itself within the community through a promotional video several members took part in, which has played in venue at Louisville's football games this season and on Louisville's social media accounts. More personalized videos about different Hispanic/Latinx student-athlete stories have also been pushed out during Hispanic Heritage Month. In addition, the group took part in Louisville's Noche de Familia y Amigos (Night of Family and Friends) event held in conjunction with a soccer doubleheader.
As for recruiting, Los Cardenales leadership is being proactive to reach out to incoming student-athletes who identify as Hispanic/Latinx. The group is also welcoming anyone who wants to learn more about the Hispanic/Latinx cultures.
Additionally, Aguilera said the group looks to expand its reach beyond the college campus this year and start getting involved at local schools. "We're starting to partner up with some Latino schools just so we can show up there, try to support them," he said.
While Aguilera and Gomez Cisterna did not have the support of a group like Los Cardenales during their initial transition to a new country and culture, both agreed that it offers vital assistance for incoming Hispanic/Latinx freshmen.
"It would've helped me so much," Aguilera reflected.
"I think it's a lot better of an experience for a freshman," Gomez Cisterna said. "It can be hard, but I think having this group of people that already belong to you makes it a lot easier and takes a lot of weight off your shoulders as a freshman."
Both Cardinals said they hope the Hispanic/Latinx student-athlete group concept becomes more widespread, too. Aguilera brough the idea to the Atlantic Coast Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, on which he sits as Louisville's representative.
"I want Latino student-athletes to feel at home," he said. "You're going to feel homesick regardless, but I want them to feel like you belong to the school you're at."