The International Student Association (ISA) hosted its second annual International Dinner on Dec. 1, 2017 from 6 to 9 p.m. in North Avenue Academic Building (NAAB).
The eboard of ISA consists of Diane Loegal, president; Sarah Wisniewski, vice president; Juan Bedoya, treasurer; Joanna Kristine Ninal, secretary; and the funded group advisor Anna Nieves.
The International Dinner was the final edition to the International Education Week, which included international food day and many other activities.
Students were recommended to dress festive in order to get into the spirit of a cultural atmosphere. After last year's success, ISA wanted to bring back an evening full of cultural exchange, international foods and performances.
Diane Loegal, a senior studying psychology, spoke about what the international dinner was and how it was important to incorporate it in the Kean community.
"The international dinner is all about bringing different cultures together, presenting different cultures and having a fun night," Loegal explained. "It is very important to embrace diversity because this campus is diverse so the international student association is a way to help with that. Students can expect a fun night, great ambiance, great atmosphere and great food from different cultures. There are going to be many cultural performances and friendships made hopefully."
Students and guests piled in excitement chatting about the night. The performers were seen in their own attire. Music blasted through the sixth floor of the NAAB bringing in a sense of cultural union. A collage of many photos could be seen of the ISA members and the many memories at Kean.
To start off the event Loegal welcomed the guests and introduced the fashion show. The walkers included Minerva Roderiguez representing Mexico, Paule-Camille Yoli representing Ivory Coast, Nkechi Odukwe representing Nigeria, Aakanksha Singh representing India, Jantice Wilson representing the United States, Jamaica and Islam and Joanna Kristine Ninal representing the Philippines.
Next Anna's World Entertainment samba dancers were presented to the guests who showed enthusiasm. Their attire was colorful and festive working and their faces showed the excitement to be sharing their culture. The dancers also waved and incorporated colorful flags, which they used to call out guests to join them in the festivities. Dances were taught to the many people in the center of the room and a samba line was quickly started adding more people on the way.
At around 6:40 p.m., the buffet opened allowing guests a chance to experience new foods consisting of jerk chicken, enchiladas, lasagna, pasta, Caribbean fruit and many more.
To engage the guests again, the DJ played games such as guess the movie and passing an object around in hopes to build character and give away glow in the dark jewelry. Guests could be seen laughing and playing along.
Mackenzy Samedi then shared his poems one which he incorporated the crowd and showed the obstacles he was able to overcome. His other poem titled "Black" was about him filling out his job applications as different races and how it affected him.
Getting back into the realm of dancing, the Heavenly Arts Training Center expressed their dances to the music and moved the crowd alongside Poornema Ramasundaram, an Indian dancer who told a story through her dancing.
A first in the international dinner was a Hawaiian Performance from Nalani who involved the crowd as well and was dressed in many articles of clothing consisting of a head piece, maracas and a straw piece.
Lastly, Loegal ended the dinner thanking everyone for coming and also gave thanks to the members of the ISA club who helped with the many functions of the dinner.
The dance floor was then open from 30 minutes for guests to dance and chat with others as the time for the end was to come.
ISA meets every other Thursday from 3:30 to 4:15 p.m. If students would like to join or would like to know more about the international festivities to come, they can contact keaninternationalstudents@gmail.com.
