A Moment of cultural celebration

International Festival of Cultures showcases cultures from around the world

By including various cultures and backgrounds, the International Festival of Cultures gave students the opportunity to have their cultures recognized on campus.

More than 20 cultures were represented and recognized at the festival held on Feb. 15 at 4 p.m. in the David L. Eisler Center.  The festival featured several performers, ensuring multiple cultures were represented. More than 200 members of the Ferris and Big Rapids communities attended to show their support for all cultures.

Student volunteers serve a traditional Nepal dish to students, which was a favorite amongst those in attendance. Photo by: Shaunti’ara Reynolds | Multimedia Editor

The festival featured numerous student volunteers, each representing their respective cultures.

Computer information systems junior Lucy Tran values the opportunity to meet people from diverse cultures.

“I can see a lot of differences in people’s backgrounds and where they come from,” Tran said.  “But I don’t see the distance in the difference. I see the beauty of it, and it’s so beautiful to see everyone be so different and so unique.”

In addition, each culture had a homemade dish made for everyone to try.  One of the dishes was Bulgogi, which represented South Korea.  It consisted of only five ingredients: sliced beef, onion, green onion, Korean BBQ, and white rice.

Members of the Ferris community had the opportunity to perform songs representing various cultures.

School of Digital Media associate professor Vaarun Singireddy performed songs with lyrics in multiple languages, including Spanish.  Performing not only meant a lot to him but also to the students in the digital animation and game design program.

Brutus joins the drum circle to celebrate unity. Photo by: Shaunti’ara Reynolds | Multimedia Editor

“If you look at the number of students we have in different populations, countries and nationalities that we have represented today, it means belonging,” Singireddy said. “Events like these mean a lot to me and students in my program.”

The songs Singireddy performed at the festival were those he felt best represented his culture.

“So India is a culturally diverse country,” Singireddy said. “Our model of the country is unity and diversity. In India, there are over 1,600 dynamics spoken, and there are multiple languages like English, Hindi and Arabic and that is very cultural to me.”

Not only did staff and faculty have opportunities to perform, but students did as well. When students took the stage, they either sang or danced to songs from their culture.

One of the student performers, senior biology major Wayne Ling, really appreciated the opportunity to perform not only for his culture but also for all other cultures.

“We want to bring the whole world together,” Ling said.  “Everybody may have disagreements with each other, but the best way to share those disagreements is to bring everyone together in an exclusive way, which is this way. We can sing and dance together, we can entertain together and enjoy the happiness.”

Some of the songs Ling performed included “Gangnam Style” by PSY and “APT.” by Rose and Bruno Mars.

Students from the United States were exposed to the cultures of international students. Senior nursing major Hannah Fry found the festival a valuable opportunity to experience diverse cultures.

“I think it’s really exciting to see all the cultures that are on campus,” Fry said. “When you’re in a [nursing] major like I am, you have the same people all the time, and you don’t get to see all the different cultures that are on campus.”

Other activities during the festival included the Ferris marching and pep bands performing the Ferris theme song and songs such as “Fireball” by Pitbull.  There was also a drum core where Ferris and Big Rapids members could play drums that came from various countries.

Students should not feel ashamed of representing their cultures and home countries. Student’s culture is part of their identity, and they should never be afraid to express it.