International Students Union Celebrates Culture

International Students Union (IAU) put on an event to celebrate diverse cultures on Thursday night (Photo by Erin Lathrop).

On Thursday, in the Kellogg Center Stacks, a cultural celebration event hosted by International Students Union (IAU) aimed to bring out and emphasize different cultures on campus. 

Tanya Jagdish strikes one of the poses of the classical Indian dance in the honor of the Hindu God Ganesha (Photo by Erin Lathrop).

The first performance was Tanya Jagdish, a sophomore from Bangalore, India, doing an Indian classical dance in honor of the Hindu God named Ganesha. She explained that she was wearing what she normally practices in and not performs in due to the fact that her performance attire takes hours to put on. 

The second performance was a Korean folk song titled “Arirang,” performed by Sunny Kim, a senior from Midland, Mich., on the violin and San Pham, a junior from Da Nang, Vietnam, on the guitar.

Sunny Kim, a senior from Midland, Mich., plays the violin and San Phan, a junior from Da Nang, Vietnam, is on the guitar performing a Korean folk song titled “Arirang” (Photo by Erin Lathrop).

During the intermission,  Latinx and Asian dishes were served to showcase  food from different cultures. A sign above each dish explained the name of the dish and what  it was composed. 

The first performance after the break was Diana Lisyonok, a freshman from Moscow, Russia, sang a Russian song titled “Valenki” that translates to “felt boots”.

The last performance of the night was a Kpop dance done by a few Albion students to the songs “Ddu ddu ddu,” by Black Pink, “Solo,” by Jennie, “Touch,” by NCT 127 and “Boomerang,” by WannaOne. 


Diana Lisyonok, a first year from Mosow, Russia, performs a Russian Folk song “Valenki,” as she dances across the room (Photo by Erin Lathrop).
The audience lines up for the Asian and Latinx dished being served at intermission (Photo by Erin Lathrop).
A few Albion students dance to the Kpop songs “Ddu ddu ddu” by Black Pink, “Solo” by Jennie, “Touch” by NCT 127, and “Boomerang” by WannaOne (Photo by Erin Lathrop).
About Erin Lathrop 56 Articles
Erin is a senior from Saline, Mich.. She is on the Track, Cross Country, and Swim and Dive team. Erin is at Albion College studying to become a nurse. She is, also, the movie Trolls and Trolls 2: World Tours' number one fan.

1 Comment

  1. Events like this are important because being an international student away from home is difficult, compounded by our complex culture and language problems. Welcoming and assimilation assistance must come from numerous sources, including the White House, to aid these young people embarking on life’s journey.
    Most struggle in their efforts and need guidance from schools’ international departments, immigration protection, host families, concerned neighbors and fellow students, and even informative books to extend a cultural helping hand.
    Something that might help anyone coming to the US is the award-winning worldwide book/ebook “What Foreigners Need To Know About America From A To Z: How to Understand Crazy American Culture, People, Government, Business, Language and More.”
    Used in foreign Fulbright student programs and endorsed worldwide by ambassadors, educators, and editors, it identifies how “foreigners” have become successful in the US, including students.
    It explains how to cope with a confusing new culture and friendship process, and daunting classroom differences. It explains how US businesses operate and how to get a job (which differs from most countries), a must for those who want to work with/for an American firm here or overseas.
    It also identifies the most common English grammar and speech problems foreigners have and tips for easily overcoming them, the number one stumbling block they say they have to succeeding here.
    Good luck to all wherever you study or wherever you come from, because that is the TRUE spirit of the American PEOPLE, not a few in government who shout the loudest! Supporters of int’l students must shout louder.

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