After a quintessentially- Albion battle with technical difficulties, the International Fashion Show quickly showed itself to be a must-attend event Wednesday night.
Organized with the aid of Sandra Myint, Yangon, Burma first-year, the fundraising event paid glowing tribute to its guest of honor, Sherri Lang, administrative secretary for the Center for International Education. Lang awaits a bone marrow transplant as a part of her treatment for leukemia.
“One of the reasons I came up with an idea of fundraising for Sherri Lang is because of my dad,” Myint said. “When I heard that Sherri had leukemia, it reminded my of dad and how he had gone through brain tumor. Having someone fighting against cancer in a family is indescribably sad. I sympathize Sherri’s family but didn’t actually know how to support her until I saw the flyers about the car wash fundraiser.”
Wednesday’s event featured a fashion show of cultural outfits from around the world. No fewer than 20 students participated in this portion of the night’s activities. Musical and dance performances were contributed by individual students as well as other campus organizations, including the United Voices of Albion College. A buffet-style dinner followed the event. The dishes were contributed by students.
The fundraiser was large by Albion standards, with about 50 indivdiuals in attendance–reflective of the widespread support for Lang. The evening was fun for all, and smiles could be seen across the audience.
Paul Lewis, Albion sophomore, was M.C. for the event. Lewis covered for gaffes and technical hiccups during the event with flair, giving the event the feeling of a family reunion more than anything else.
“[Lang] is like a mother to the students and they took this as their own initiative to have an event to help her out in a time of need,” said Donna Randall, president of Albion College. “It makes me just really proud of our Albion students.”
The feeling of family and support was the whole point of the event, Myint said. It wasn’t about a perfect performance as much as it was about supporting an individual who international students feel has given so much.
“I am overwhelmed by all the support shown to me by all of the students, faculty and staff at Albion College,” Lang said. “Working in the international office has been an adventure, with both bringing students to Albion and sending our students abroad and watching the change in them. We get much closer than some other offices and students on campus and last night really proved it. I want to thank everyone for all their hard work.”
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