High Point University

International Festival promotes cultural diversity

By Nick Bainbridge//News Editor

On April 14, High Point University hosted its annual International Festival. Students and faculty from a wide range of cultural backgrounds were given the opportunity to come together and celebrate different aspects of their culture and share it with their classmates.

On the Slane Student Center outdoor basketball court, students set up tables and booths to represent their various countries, offering a look into the different cultures of the diverse student body.

Over a dozen tables were set up at the festival, including China, Lebanon, Palestine, Pakistan and Italy. Many offered food from their home countries so that students could taste authentic cuisine from the various cultures around the world.

Polet Rosztoczy, a student from Hungary at the event, commented on the pleasant atmosphere and said, “People are happy to be here and can come over to get food. It’s been good seeing the positive response.”

Students also had demonstrations and activities; students from Saudi Arabia showed people how to write their names in Arabic.

This festival is not only a great way for HPU students to learn about other cultures, but it is also particularly helpful for international students who may feel isolated away from home.

In addition to the booths, there was also a showing in the Wanek Cinema of the South Korean film “Golden Slumber,” an action thriller about a delivery man framed for the murder of a presidential candidate.

Several musical performances also took place for the festival. Senior Ashley Russel sang songs from multiple nations in various languages, and Minsky Delmonte performed with the steel drums.

On the plaza, HPU’s theater choreographer Steven Messina helped arrange dances for both African and Cuban performances. He was eager to use the festival as a way to share his Cuban culture in particular.

“I used to live in South Florida where there are a lot of Cubans, so it was nice to bring Cuban dances with me to North Carolina to share with everyone,” Messina said.

While the festival was sponsored by the Office of Global Education, many of the events were arranged by the students themselves. Dr. Marjorie Church, HPU’s director of International Student Services, focused on the general organization of the events, but she wanted to give students a great deal of control over their own booths and activities.

After acquiring funding from HPU’s Student Government Association, HPU students made the arrangements for all of the food and festivities that took place.

According to Church, the goal of the festival was “to provide the High Point community with a look into other cultures.”