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The Suffolk Journal

Your School. Your Paper. Since 1936.

The Suffolk Journal

Your School. Your Paper. Since 1936.

The Suffolk Journal

‘A Night Around the World’ shows off Suffolk’s diversity

Students+celebrate+fashion+and+culture+on+Suffolk%E2%80%99s+campus+at+%E2%80%9CA+Night+Around+the+World%E2%80%9D
James Bartlett
Students celebrate fashion and culture on Suffolk’s campus at “A Night Around the World”

The Asian American Association (AAA) hosted “A Night Around the World,” a cultural fashion show this past Thursday, Feb. 20.

The celebration took place in the basement cafeteria of the Leonard J. Samia Academic Center. AAA had converted the area into a captivating fashion runway. Due to the size of the crowd, there ended up being standing room only at the event. AAA Vice President Anna Nguyen said the event attendance well-surpassed the 100+ people the club expected.

A student showing her cultural costume

AAA has had the idea for a cultural fashion showcase for a few semesters and has been planning this exhibition since January. This was the club’s first time hosting “A Night Around the World” and collaborated with over 10 other clubs to effectively capture the variety of cultures on Suffolk’s campus.

The crowd oohed, awed and cheered at the diverse mix of multicultural fashion that came down the runway.

The show featured over 20 models of all genders. There were two segments of the show, one featuring models in traditional garb and one with models in modern attire of the various nations and religions featured.

The cultures featured included Korea, Ecuador, China, Bangladesh, Judaism, the Dominican Republic, Vietnam and more.

Ryan Veytsman, a senior, was one of the models in the show. Veytsman represented Judaism and said he enjoyed the opportunity to celebrate his culture on stage.

James Bartlett
A student in national costume during the showcase

“Super cool, love being able to represent my culture. I really hope they continue to do it,” said Veytsman.

Grace Richard, a first year student, attended the show and said she enjoyed the variety of cultures featured.

“I think it’s really cool seeing all these different cultures and their dances and what their clothing is. It’s just really cool,” Richard said.

Richard also noted how the cultural aspect of the show allowed the Suffolk community to show off its cultural diversity.

“Suffolk is very cultural, there’s people from so many different countries and this just highlights all the cultures,” Richard said.

First year student Jasmine Francoeur also attended the show and felt that in addition to capturing the diversity on campus, the event had a great sense of togetherness and inclusion.

“I think that it shows how strong the cultures can be when people come together. When all the cultural groups get together we can really make something special and show this side of what Suffolk is,” Francoeur said.

The clubs that partnered with AAA were the Caribbean Student Network, Vietmanese Student Association, Suffolk Free Radio, Young Arab Leaders Association, Fusion Dhamaka, Japanese Student Association, Latin X, Korean Cultural Club, South Asian Student Association, Pasión Latina and Suffolk Photography Club.

Suffolk Free Radio played different music that was representative of the cultures represented on stage throughout the show.

Finger foods were also served including crab rangoon, spring rolls and chicken and beef teriyaki.

AAA’s Public Relations officer Anim Osmani called the event a total success.

“Everyone in the event had a good time and gave off positive vibes,” said Osmani. “It was also remarkable to see how students were very passionate to showcase their respective cultures as the participating clubs intermingled. The audience was also captivating as they actively engaged in intercultural exchange.”

AAA said that they are looking forward to their next event in March,“Asia Night.” The club said the event will feature games and will require preparation similar to “A Night Around the World.”

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About the Contributor
James Bartlett, Multimedia Editor | he/him
James Bartlett is a senior studying print and web journalism. Originally from Lowell, Massachusetts, James has a strong interest in photojournalism and new journalism tools such as podcasting and user-generated content. James is currently a Web Journalist at WHDH Channel 7 and has previously worked at Boston.com and the Newburpoty Daily News. Follow James on Twitter @James_bartlett8 Email him at [email protected]

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‘A Night Around the World’ shows off Suffolk’s diversity