Leadership celebrated the different heritage of M-A’s student body for their annual International Week this past week. In partnership with M-A’s cultural clubs, Leadership arranged a vast array of student-led activities and delicious cultural dishes on the Green and G-Wing each day.
Monday: Black Cultures
To kick off the week, M-A’s Black Student Union and Leadership organized tables on the Green offering an assortment of foods rooted in Black culture, from fried chicken and fish and potato salad to mac and cheese, blackberry pie, Kool-Aid, and pound cake.
“Today is mostly about bringing people together and experiencing my culture with everyone else,” junior and BSU member Jaysce Reese said.
“I think it’s important that we have Black culture represented here even though our population is dwindling down. Everything that we are selling was made by Black staff on campus, and all the money that we make goes back to BSU to help us put on more events like this in support of the Black community,” senior and BSU president Tatiola Sobomehin* said.
Tuesday: Asian Cultures
From painting traditional Chinese calligraphy to enjoying boba on the Green, students enjoyed a variety of activities for Asian Cultures Day.
“It has been really awesome coming to M-A and creating this sense of Asian community at our school,” senior and Asian Culture Club vice president Claire Chang said.
Along with the refreshments were stations for Chinese calligraphy painting and chopstick competitions. Junior Olivia Tantisira loved how the activities showcased a mix of Asian culture. “A lot of the time Asian culture, especially East Asian culture gets lumped into one, so it’s nice to differentiate the smaller things and have time to celebrate the specifics,” she said.
Wednesday: Latin American Cultures
LUMA and Leadership hosted a celebration on Wednesday in the G-Wing, offering traditional Latin American dishes like pupusas revueltas and horchata. Two local food cart vendors also sold fresh mangoes, elotes, and duritos topped with dressings like tajín, chamoy, and other seasonings.
“We are representing around 40% of the school, so it means a lot knowing that there are not many clubs right now that can sell these things and be here for this event,” LUMA president senior Leslie Mandujano said. “I thought we had to really go all out and not just sell agua fresca but also a meal that feels like home to many people.”
Thursday: Pacific Islander Cultures
With speakers booming classic Polynesian music, The Pacific Islander Club performed a series of traditional dances from the Samoan Islands, Tonga, and Tahiti to a crowd of students, staff, and parents in the G-Wing during lunch.
“This event is very special for my culture because we want to show our culture to other people,” Pacific Islander Club dancer senior Jasmine Tupe said. “They can understand where we come from and how much love we have for our culture and also for the people embracing it.”
Friday: International Day
After four days of celebrating individual cultures, International Week concluded with a grand celebration that included everyone’s heritage simultaneously. The Green was filled with various dishes, music, and traditional art from different clubs like the Deaf Culture Club, MEGOS, Jewish Student Union, GSA, Care Bears, and more.
JSU had candy and materials like beads and necklaces to make groggers for the Jewish holiday of Purim. “The story of Purim includes a villain character named Haman, and when his name is said aloud, everyone makes as much noise as possible. This includes booing, screaming, and shaking noise-makers called groggers. This activity helps represent this tradition,” junior co-vice president Naomi Wolosin said.
Junior and Leadership student Caroline Rose shared some insight into how Leadership organized this event-filled week. “We emailed the clubs to figure out what they wanted to plan, seeing what resources they need, the music they want, and more for their performances,” she said.
“This whole week showcases how you can bring a community together because you have students who are dancing to show off their culture which is something that they really care about. And then there are people from different cultures around us that are also celebrating together. I think it’s really beautiful to see all the smiles on people’s faces and everyone participating, and just really enjoying this cultural celebration for M-A,” Rose said.
