Celebrating Diversity: International Culture Night brings students of all backgrounds together
Photo by Leta Howell
On Friday, students, staff, and visitors were presented with a colorful display of talent and fashion from all over the world.
From 7 to 9 p.m. on Nov. 18, dozens gathered in LBCC’s Russell Tripp theater to witness the 2016 International Culture Night. Among the performances were traditional dances, songs, and even some magic tricks from places like Mexico, Mongolia, India, Saudi Arabia, China, and the UK.
“It was great, and a lot of fun. We don’t normally do events like this, so it was nice to see us try something new” said Diversity Achievement Center director Javier Cervantes.
The Culture Night was put on as part of the greater International Education Week, an annual LBCC tradition organized this year by international student adviser Sharece Bunn and other staff involved with international students.
“Everything was amazing. We have such incredible, talented students here,” said Bunn.
The purpose of the Culture Night and the greater International Education Week is to promote awareness of the many different international students here on campus, as well as providing opportunities for international and domestic students to interact. While the Culture Night took place on Friday, other events throughout the week included an International Student Panel on Monday, the weekly Culture Tables on Wednesday, and the International Education Fair on Thursday.
The emcees of the night were Ganjiguur Batsaikhan of Malaysia, and Camila Monegatte of Brazil. Both were excited about hosting the event and pleased everything went off without a hitch.
“I’m surprised at how well everything went. I gotta say, I was expecting less and got more, since this is my first time,” said Monegatte.
Mounir El-Jamal, a student and international ambassador from Lebanon, described the night as “very fun,” and appreciated the opportunity to perform magic tricks for the audience and show off traditional Lebanese dress. Yuting Zhou, a student from China, sang a traditional Chinese song while exhibiting traditional dress.
“Everything was great,” said Zhou. “The night went perfectly.”
After the performances, students, staff, and visitors were given a chance to mix and mingle and partake in some refreshments in Takena Hall. An amicable spirit filled the building, as friends and family talked and laughed. Great anticipation is already building for next year’s show.
by Truman Templeton
