On May 8, students celebrated the second annual Culture Day, which included about twenty displays with posters, food and cultural clothing. For many participants, the event carried a meaning well beyond a decorative table, slideshow or snacks.
“To me it really means them knowing who I am; acknowledging who I am as a person and how I came to be,” said sophomore Sophia Guzman, who represented Mexico.
Junior Nasli Rodriguez, who is credited with organizing the first, smaller version of Culture Day last school year, set up a combined Haiti and Dominican Republic table and said it felt like sharing her culture with others was showing people “how I am. Like this is me, I am the culture.”
This year, the Student Council decided to build on Rodriguez’s idea and expand Culture Day to include more people. According to Student Council staff adviser Dan Robertson, it took a while for it to catch on.
“Students didn’t know what to expect,” said Robertson. “I think students were overwhelmed in the beginning and then it just got progressively easier because as students talked to each other about it, they kind of spread the word.”
On the day of the event, the students took full control and everything was in place and running smoothly. Sharing food was one of the ways students were able to bring their culture to life.
“So, I went to my local Mexican store and I bought a bunch of snacks in bulk, a bunch of delicious snacks that I felt like I could share with my community and it’s just these snacks I grew up with so I feel like I would love to share it with everyone else,” said Guzman
Sophomore Ainhoa Villazon, representing Peru, brought Arroz Chaufa, which is a Peruvian fried rice with Chinese influences.
“I grew up with this food so, like, it’s really meaningful to see that a bunch of people enjoyed it,” said Villazon.
Nicole Seniar, a junior, brought snacks as well.
“I grew up with just eating them and being so calm. Eating them as a snack and then when I grew up I realized that this is such, like, an underrated thing,” said Seniar, who wanted to share from a part of the world that people here might not be accustomed to. “Like, people don’t know Filipino culture as much [as they do other cultures].”
Like Seniar, Rodriguez hoped that her display might broaden people’s understanding, specifically about the relationship between Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
“Haiti and the Dominican Republic, they’re not really rivals,” said Rodriguez. “It’s more like we’re siblings. Like, we’re cool.”
Some participants shared that preparing for the event taught them new things about their own cultures. Seniar reflected on the diversity of her culture “there is no place that you can go to in the Philippines that is the same.” And, through her research, Guzman found a more profound appreciation for Selena Quintanilla, a Mexican American singer of the late 20th century. She hopes the event deepened people’s appreciation of other cultures, more than just knowing their holidays.
“I hope they learn the significance of holidays to us,” said Seniar. “I know that everybody knows the Day of the Dead, but do they really know, like, the meaning and the symbolism behind that?”
For students who attended as visitors, this event gave them the opportunity to experience cultures they had little prior exposure to.
Shifa Khundmiri, a senior, said the experience made her want to participate next time, except that she’ll be graduating.
“I think it is really interesting and nice to present your culture and your things.” Khundmiri said, adding that if she had participated, she would have brought in pakoras and samosas.
Maisha Zaman, also a senior, agreed with Khundmiri’s sentiment and added that her favorite table was Colombia because “their food was so good.”
Robertson was very impressed with the student effort that went into Culture Day to make it such a success.
“I loved seeing the work that students put in,” said Robertson. “So, it’s not for a class, it’s not for a grade, and I know students who stayed up late the night before, like putting in the work. Kids brought in really awesome food. They dressed up, they brought in lots of really cool stuff,” he said.
