Explore Diversity at 7th Annual Culture Fest on Saturday

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – From food to shared beliefs, culture molds who we are. To showcase the vibrant and rich cultural backgrounds of Islander faculty, staff and students, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi’s Islander Cultural Alliance (ICA) invites you to the seventh annual Culture Fest on Saturday, Nov. 10, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the University Center, Lone Star Ballroom.

“Islander Cultural Alliance has been making additional efforts to collaborate with other student organizations since last semester,” said Susan La Torre, ICA advisor. “With the help of Christiane Borges Quadros, the president of International Student Organization and Sara Hernandez, a graduate assistant in Student Activities, ICA was able to bring a variety of performances and activities to this year’s event.”    

The event, which is free and open to the public, features activities for all ages. Attendees can enjoy various performances from Ballet Folkloric Viva Mexico de Corpus Christi, Chinese Student Scholar Association, Vietnamese Student Association, and Aarthi Palaniappan, who is new to the festival this year.

“Palaniappan will be doing Pushpanjali, the first dance in a Bharatha Natyam performance.  It is the salutation to the lord of dance Nataraja, the Guru (teacher), the musicians, and the audience. This year the Chinese Student Scholar Association will be adding a calligraphy crash course to the mix,” La Torre said.

In addition to live entertainment, participants can enjoy various foods from all around the world and create memories by way of arts and crafts. During the festival, Islanders and community members can pay homage to their own culture and learn about others by sharing stories over good food and music.

“We like to change up the food every year, and Jennifer Crawford in catering has been great to work with these past two years to bring variety to what we offer,” La Torre said. “We will be serving harissa chicken wings from North Africa, falafel from the Middle East, punjabi aloo gobi (a vegan dish of spiced cauliflower and potatoes) from India, Mongolian beef is a Chinese-American dish, and for dessert, a South African milk tart.”

 ICA is a student-led organization that focuses on providing opportunities to celebrate, raise awareness, and educate others on a variety of cultural and diverse issues. Click on the link to learn more about ICA.