The start of Hispanic Heritage Month has some local Hispanics thinking about their culture.

State Sen. Valde Garcia, R-Howell, said the Hispanics are a growing part of the Lansing community.

"We want the Latino and Hispanic people to aspire to ascend to new heights, to reach out and accomplish things they never thought possible," he said. "Too many Hispanic students are graduating high school, but aren't going on to college. We want them to reach out beyond their goals."

The culmination of Hispanic Heritage Month will be a day-long celebration at the Capitol on Oct. 1. The theme for the event is "Ascending to New Heights" and was chosen to encourage the Hispanic community to achieve their goals.

The Capitol celebration will begin at noon and will feature informational booths on higher education topics, Hispanic food donated from local merchants, live bands and dancers.

"More than 300 students participated in the celebration last year and we hope to see a lot more this year," Garcia said. "Nearly 1,000 people gathered at the Capitol lawn last year."

Hispanic Heritage Month is especially important to Garcia, he said, he feels obligated to contribute to the community.

A showcase depicting Hispanic military veterans will be displayed at the Capitol for the entire month.

Margarita Valdez, of the Lansing-based Michigan Hispanic Caucus in Lansing, said people should know what Hispanics are doing for the community.

To highlight outstanding Michigan Hispanics, the caucus is going to honor six leadership awards Oct. 1 as part of the Capitol celebration.

"Some of the categories we will recognize are Hispanic advocate, Hispanic educator, lifetime achievement and youth leadership," Valdez said.

The awards recipients will be chosen from nominations that were submitted early September.

Marcelina Treviño-Savala, associate director for the MSU High School Equivalency Program, said the heritage month is a great way to share important events in Hispanic history with the public.

"It's extremely important to celebrate Hispanic heritage because even though it's only a month, we need to expose our culture with the community," Treviño-Savala said.

"We should use the month as an educational tool for other students to appreciate and get a greater understanding of our heritage."