Under blue skies and the flags of many nations, Lee students and faculty gathered together to celebrate culture.

Lee’s second annual Culture Fest, held Thursday, March 27, gave students of all different backgrounds and races the opportunity to come together and represent their own cultures, while experiencing and learning about others.

The event, put on by the Diversity Committee, aimed to bring awareness to the Lee community of the diversity that the campus holds.

When asked what they hoped to accomplish through Culture Fest, Assistant Professor of Exercise Physiology Mike Iosia said, “[We hoped] to bring exposure to international students.”

The exposure the students aimed for came in the form of food from various cultures, Native American music, a costume contest, dancing and performances, and the selection of Mr. and Ms. Diversity.

Clubs that were involved in representing different cultures included the Bahamian Connection Club, the International Student Fellowship (ISF) and World African Student Association (WASA), all of whom served ethnic foods to those attending.

After the “Taste of the World”, the night continued with student performances, including a Nepali song by Shashank Shrestha, Sworup Ranjit and Sailesh Dhakal, and cultural dancing by the Bahamian Connection Club.

Culture Fest, only in its second year, is an annual event that is new to Lee’s campus. Yet the purpose behind it is not new: to bring awareness to students of the great amount of diversity on campus and to welcome international students here.

For many international students, coming to a new country can be an overwhelming change, but there are ways that American students can help them to make this transition more smoothly.

Dr. Iosia, offering advice on how to make international students feel more at home, said, “Talk to them…get to know them, become friends with them.”

Culture Fest provided students with a meeting ground upon which they could all find pride in their countries and share that excitement for their homes with the rest of the Lee community.

Although Culture Fest is new, it has already succeeded in bringing the diverse people of Lee together, and the future looks bright for the years to come.