Around the World in 21 Booths: Caltech Festival Celebrates Cultural Diversity

From April 22-26, Caltech hosted World Fest, a weeklong celebration of cultural diversity on campus coordinated by the Caltech Y, International Offices, and the Associated Students of Caltech (ASCIT).

Throughout the week, undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral scholars presented lunch seminars about their own cultural backgrounds and their experiences on international trips—sponsored by the Caltech Y's Hastrup Award—that enabled them to reconnect with their roots. The week culminated with an international food fair and multicultural talent and fashion show on Beckman Mall.

At the food fair and show on Friday, April 26, more than 500 attendees from Caltech and the Pasadena area sampled cuisines ranging from roti canai, a flaky flatbread and curry combo popular in Malaysia, to pistachio halvah, a fudge-like Middle Eastern confection. The food fair featured 21 booths representing countries including Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, Colombia, Cuba, India, Iran, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, Norway, Pakistan, the Philippines, Scandinavia, South Korea, Turkey, Venezuela, and the UK.

While enjoying their snacks, attendees also cheered on more than 40 performers in the multicultural talent and fashion show. Participants recited poetry, performed dance routines, and modeled traditional clothing from regions around the world. Student groups including the Black Student Union (BSU) and the Caltech Hispanic and Latino Association (CHLA) coordinated acts in the show in addition to several performances by individual students.

Evident during the event, whether on stage or at the booths, was a distinct sense of pride and joy from participants sharing their cultural heritage.

"The World Fest food fair and show gave us a unique opportunity to come together and show off our rich culture and varied heritage," says Snigdha Saha, a fourth-year undergraduate and ASCIT social director, who both coordinated and participated in the multicultural talent and fashion show.

"It was a chance to give our peers a look into our backgrounds and our upbringings," she adds. "And both participants and audience members walked away with a stronger understanding and appreciation of the immense diversity present in this small but strong community at Caltech."