Inside the Titan Student Union Pavilion this Tuesday, college students shared meals, conversations and performances representing cultures from around the globe because the Association for Inter-Cultural Awareness turned the area right into a vigorous celebration of group.
Hosted in collaboration with International Education and Engagement, the occasion aimed to coach college students about cultural range and showcase the number of identities and organizations represented at Cal State Fullerton.
“As an international student myself, when I came here last year — it takes a little time to adjust when you don’t know the people, you don’t know the faces,” mentioned Indrayani Bhosale, AICA’s occasion coordinator and second-year laptop science graduate scholar. “But when you find someone from your community, it gets a lot easier. And when you come to these events, you not only find people from your community, but you meet so many people.”
The celebration featured a number of tables adorned with cultural memorabilia, reside performances and worldwide delicacies, giving college students an opportunity to expertise world traditions with out leaving campus.
Attendees gathered close to the stage, watching intently as dancers shared items of their heritage by means of motion. The showcase included a Okay-pop group dance, stomach dancing, conventional Mongolian folks dance and baile folklórico. Each dance supplied a glimpse into the customs and tales that form the various group on campus.
Many college students who tabled on the occasion discovered the expertise significant. One of these college students was Ethan Morris, a third-year accounting main who represented the Taiwanese Student Association.
“I’m representing the club today for this event, just mostly to spread our culture,” Morris mentioned. “Being at an event like this, spreading our culture, telling people that we’re not just the country of boba or something like that. It’s really helpful so that people can learn more about us. So we’re not mixed up with whether it’s China or Thailand.”
Across the Pavilion, meals samples had been supplied to attendees touring the world from desk to desk. Along their journey, representatives from varied cultural golf equipment shared artifacts as they taught quick classes about their customs.
Devipriya Nishadevi Ajith, a first-year public well being main, shared features of Indian tradition together with the celebration of Diwali, the Hindu “Festival of Lights.” She additionally defined the cultural significance of the objects displayed on her desk, starting from conventional embroidered skirts to chai and samosas.
Attendees walked round with plates of meals, experiencing new flavors. To some, the number of snacks was what stood out probably the most.
“A lot of the different cultures and student orgs here have a lot of really tasty snacks,” mentioned Xitlali Navarro, a fourth-year switch scholar double-majoring in sociology and public well being. “It allows students to get a taste of the different culture.”
The occasion served as each a celebration and a reminder of the range that defines CSUF. The sense of satisfaction and connection shared all through the day mirrored the occasion’s bigger aim of uniting college students by means of cultural appreciation and understanding.
Jocelynn Veliz, AICA consultant for Hermanas Unidas and fourth-year political science main, famous the significance of cultural unity.
“Especially in a place like Southern California, where it is essentially a melting pot of cultures; it’s just beautiful to be surrounded by others who are passionate about their culture as much as, you know, the people in the Latina community are,” Veliz mentioned.