The International Students Association hosted its annual fall festival in John England Jr. Hall on Friday.
International students came together to celebrate and learn more about other cultures as well as show off their own.
“When you interact with people, it’s always very diverse and very interesting because all of them have different perspectives about things,” said Abiodun Wahab, president of ISA.
The event featured a variety of cultural performances, food and activities.
Performances included a K-pop dance from HallyUA, a Chinese music ensemble and a dance from the Iranian Students Association.
“They were teaching us how to dance in the Iranian way, so that was really beautiful,” said Solomon Sesesie Ajasa, president of the Graduate Student Association.
The food consisted of dishes from China, India, the Mediterranean, Japan and the United States, with many different rice dishes and vegetarian options.
Activities at the event included an international trivia Kahoot game, a 360 photo booth, Henna tattoos, the Chinese game Mahjong and name writings in Chinese or Katakana.
“What we [ISA] do is we help new and incoming international students sort of get used to the University,” Ajasa said of the International Students Association, adding that he has made many friends from different countries.
Students from the countries of Bangladesh, India, Uganda, Nigeria, Japan, South Korea, China, Iran and the United States were among those in attendance.
Anna Herren, a junior double majoring in dance and communicative disorders, said she thought it was good to learn about different cultures she doesn’t know much about, especially since she has friends from different Asian countries.
One of the most high-profile attendees was Tarsis Orogot, senior sports management major and UA track athlete, who said he and his friend from Nigeria saw a post on Instagram and came to check the event out.
Faria Nourin Ansaree, ISA member and English master’s student, said she enjoys ISA events because “you get to meet a lot of people from different countries [and] even meet people from your own country.”
