Student groups highlight different cultures at 2023 International Festival

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As an international student from the Philippines, Enrique Ramon Prejula struggled to find a place to fit in on campus when he was a freshman. Now, as a senior and the president of the Filipino Student Association, he said he’s grateful to have found that home with FSA.

“We never lost that core value of family that Filipinos always have and it means a lot to all of us because we’re just one happy family representing the Philippines,” Prejula said.

On Sunday, the Filipino Student Association and nine other international student groups gathered at Goldstein Auditorium for the 2023 International Festival to showcase the traditions and talents of the Syracuse University community. Students brought food, gave performances and presented different items that represented their cultures.

Juan Tavares, director of the Center of International Services, said the event was a great way to showcase SU’s diversity and for different international students to bond over their shared experiences. He said because SU has an international population of over 4,000 students — close to 19% of the entire student body — events like the International Festival are great ways for students to expose themselves to the larger community.

“Our students are engaged and represent our university with pride and enthusiasm, especially upon their return home,” Tavares said.

Tavares also explained that although the festival was supported and financed by SU staff members, the event is largely student run, with all of the decorations and food provided by student organizations.

One of the highlights of the International Festival was the food that different organzations prepared. Everything from traditional drinks, entrées and desserts was available for guests to try. Cassandra Roshu | Asst. Photo Editor

Senior Britnee Jean, president of the Haitian American Student Association, said she’s from a predominantly white area and uses her church community at home to connect with her Haitian heritage. During her time at SU, she’s used the HASA as a way to continue to meet other Haitian people and bond over their culture.

“I just had to instantly get involved because people who share the same ideas share the same food like they know and understand, it’s just a very warm, comforting feeling to have people that I know and are familiar with around me,” said Jean.

Jean said large international events like the festival are important because they allow for different students to express their individuality and can give more insight to students about what different student organizations do to represent their cultures.

Junior Thenia DeSimone, a Greek member of the European Student Association, said international student organizations can bring differences together and give students a home away from home. Though she was virtual during her freshman year, DeSimone said joining the ESA helped her connect with other European students, making her eventual transition to campus very easy.

Many of the organizations that presented their cultures at the festival are fairly new to campus and have provided many international students with an opportunity to connect with other students who share their cultures, but also educate the rest of the Syracuse community who may not have a clear perception of the different cultures, said senior Ruohan Xu, the president of the Chinese Union.

Xu said he helped to form the Chinese Union two years ago because he wanted to take a different approach to the representation of Chinese culture on campus. He said many of the union’s events involve traditional performances and cuisine, both of which was shown at the International Festival.

“We want to serve as a bridge not only for the International new students but also for the whole campus community to let us know, to let them know what is the real Chinese culture or Asian culture because there’s some misunderstanding,” Xu said.

The International Festival is a showcase of the creativity, commitment and dedication of international student organizations, Jean said. Giving a student a chance to show a little bit about who they are and where they come from is special, she said.

“I feel like it makes their day and their year,” said Jean. “This is something that they’ll look forward to, and something that prospective students can look forward to as well when it comes to choosing what school to go to so I think it’s very important.”