Wenatchee High School’s Mariachi Huenachi was featured on Primer Impacto Univision Network, a nationally broadcasted news channel, last week. Only five outstanding school programs were chosen for this event, one program per day for five days. Wenatchee’s story aired on Sept. 8, and was viewed by Spanish speaking households throughout the country.

Mariachi instructor Ramon Rivera was thrilled about seeing his students succeed at such a high level. “It is so amazing for this program to get notable recognition and go against stereotypes made by many people outside of the Hispanic community,” Rivera said.

Although the entire program was mentioned and discussed, the three-minute-long segment dedicated much time towards Miguel Cedeño, a senior at Wenatchee High. The filming was “awkward and exciting,” Cedeño said.

However, appearing on national television was not Cedeño’s first time in front of a camera. He had been previously featured on TVW, in addition to a documentary on Mariachi programs done by Rene Flores, both being small scale programs aimed at smaller audiences. There had been some anxious energy pre-filming, but due to past experience, Cedeño and his family were prepared to share glimpses of their lives with those willing to watch.

When asked about any differences between national exposure and the more local features, Cedeño said, “The camera was a lot bigger… and I did not fully comprehend the importance of what was happening, and then I got a lot of phone calls within 30 minutes of the broadcast being played from family in California and I really realized how big of a deal it was.”

The WHS mariachi program has a full schedule in September. In honor of Hispanic heritage month, Wenatchee Mariachi performed at last weekend’s Fiestas Mexicanas, a festival held at Lincoln Park. However, the entire month is a celebration, and the program will be traveling this Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday, in addition to performing at Montana State University on Sept. 26.