At the #Latina30Under30 party, Fifth Harmony, ABC Family owned the night

By Fusion Staff | November 14, 2014 | 12:09pm

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Last night, Latina magazine took over the Mondrian Hotel in Los Angeles for one of its biggest events of the year—its 30 Under 30 party. Fusion joined up with our friends at ABC Family to get the scoop on what went down behind the velvet ropes!

Latina’s annual 30 under 30 list celebrates the 30 (obviously) Latino stars under age 30 (again, obvi) in the areas of film, music, sports—and social media and activism.

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So it wasn’t just about pretty faces— though there were plenty of those. It was clear from the social media shout-outs that the biggest stars of the night were the women of Fifth Harmony. They took over Latina’s official accounts, and, yes, their super-dedicated Harmonizers did their job of making sure every last dispatch spread everywhere.

Of course, the magazine’s current cover star, Bella Thorne, showed up too.

With everyone crowding around, we got some exclusive sit-downs with Cierra Ramirez and Jake T. Austin from the ABC Family hit, “Meet the Fosters.”

Spoiler alert—the “Fosters” Christmas special comes out in early December, and after that, both of these young stars are taking a quick hiatus. Ramirez says she’d like to start working with the children’s hospital in her native Houston—and she also says she’s going to hit the studio to record some music.

Ramirez is a longtime friend of Fifth Harmony’s Ally Hernandez, so it’s no surprise she told us we can expect a soulful sound based on the stylings of the great, classic chanteuses.

Some of the most inspiring honorees of the evening came from outside of the entertainment industry. We loved the backstory for Michelle Rivas’ popular blog TheHealthyLatina.com, which started as a journalism class assignment and evolved into a passion project.

Rivas has devoted her life to getting out proper health and wellness information to Latinas and other women of color, and dispelling rumors and misinformation. Her 24/7 accessibility on her site and on social media makes her a model of a new, highly personalized and young form of journalism.

Natalia Anciso, meanwhile, inspires through visual art. We loved hearing her tell her story of breaking down barriers for women and people of color in the art world, especially in MFA programs and academia. Through her own works she depicts Chicano history and struggles on both sides of the border, and through her work with youth, she encourages other to find their own voice.

Besides the evening’s official honorees, we also caught up with other fun celebs who came by for the festivities. Adrienne Bailon, of the talk show “The Real,” came across as boisterous, fun, and, uh, real as she does on her show—and her eyelash game IRL is fire!

We also were won over by telenovela star Victoria del Rosal, who’s now trying to break out into the English-language market. She’s really passionate about helping undocumented children and has been pushing for amnesty by working with the campaign #SOYINMIGRANTE. She spoke about the missing 43 students in Mexico and the need for government reform in her native country.

Throughout all this, of course, the girls of Fifth Harmony were still having fun on Latina’s social media…

…And by the end of the night, our dancing shoes hurt.

The event inspired with its diverse cast of characters, all making the world a more creative and caring place. Read the full list of the 30 under 30 here—if some of the names seem unfamiliar, they won’t be for long.

Arielle Castillo is Fusion’s culture editor, reporting on arts, music, culture, and subcultures from the streets on up. She’s also a connoisseur of weird Florida, weightlifting, and cats.