Aaliyah Adedeji, a senior, decorated the butterfly with various paint markers to create rainbow stripes on one side and used a gold paint marker to color on the other side, where “the rainbow [is depicted] peeking through the other side.”
According to Adedeji, who was one of the students who participated in the La Pared de Esperanza event, the rainbow symbolized equality and inclusivity, and the “fun colors” symbolized hope. The gold symbolized optimism.
Adedeji said that she was very proud of decorating her butterfly. She said her butterfly looked very beautiful and that “it captured an amazing message,” with her wanting to spread positivity and hope.
The La Pared de Esperanza (The Wall of Hope) event occurred on Thursday and Friday, Oct. 9-10, during 3rd-6th lunch periods in the student cafeteria. In the during-school event, students decorated their butterflies with Gabriela Escobar, who is the Director of Culture and Climate.
According to the email sent by Escobar to the Lane Tech students on Oct. 7, the purpose of the La Pared de Esperanza event was to “take a moment to create something peaceful and meaningful” after stating “with all that’s happening in the world.”
She also said in an email, “In many cultures — especially in Hispanic communities — butterflies symbolize hope, transformation, and the connection between life and spirit.”
Escobar said she thought about the La Pared de Esperanza event over the summer. “Students need a reminder and staff that everything will be OK and to never give up,” she said.
Escobar said she had prepared for the La Pared de Esperanza event by buying the butterflies and the markers over the summer and over the beginning of the school year, just in case a lot of students wanted to participate in the two days of the event.
Unlike other events at Lane Tech that were meant to celebrate the Hispanic Heritage Month, the La Pared de Esperanza event officially lasted for two days. The reason behind it was that Escobar wanted students to have an opportunity to take advantage of the activities.
There were students who were willing to support the Lane Tech cultural climate and to spread hope in the time when the United States was in a fragile state.
Adedeji said, “My reason to participate [in the La Pared de Esperanza event] is to spread hope especially in the time when we’re in, considering the political state of the United States right now especially in Chicago.” She said her goal is to help people realize that people in the world continue to have hope and that people should have faith with each other.
Another featured butterfly from the La Pared de Esperanza event was decorated by Yarisella Valle, who is a sophomore. She decorated the butterfly with blue and red paint markers to go for “the blueish red gradient ratio” and then added gems to its borders.
“I had a lot of fun,” Valle said. “I think I should do it [again next year] because Ms. Escobar took her time to organize materials and honestly it did not take time.”
Adedeji enjoyed participating in the La Pared de Esperanza event. “I felt very calm, very happy, and sociable because it’s a very chill vibe to see other people’s creativity shining through the fact it’s for a good cause makes it better,” she said.
Escobar sent an email to the Lane Tech students Oct. 14, stating that they can also come on Oct. 15 if they have not participated in the La Pared de Esperanza event and desired to decorate a butterfly.
In the same email, she also wrote, “Let’s close out Hispanic Heritage Month with color, creativity, and community.”
Escobar said her plan was to display the butterflies on the wall [by Door M] as soon as all of them were completed. They were going to be displayed all throughout the school year, to be used as “a reminder that we’re resilient and we’re strong as a community, and when we all come together, we make beautiful things happen.”
