Monday, October 27, 2014

Cultures on display at the annual UIS International Festival


The University of Illinois Springfield hosted the 37th annual International Festival on October 24, 2014 at The Recreation and Athletic Center (TRAC) on campus. The theme of the festival was "One World, One Beat!”

The festival gives international students a chance to share their cultures with fellow students and members of the Springfield community. The festival featured food and entertainment from several African nations, China, India, Ireland, Peru, Turkey, Scotland and more.

“It’s really the one time a year when we get to know about different cultures,” said Natalie Fung, a sophomore business administration major. “This school is really diverse, but we never really get to know about each other.”

Siddharth Modali came to UIS from India to study Management Information Systems. He’s glad to be able to share his culture and learn about others.

“I came to the United States to pursue my master’s and have interaction with all of the international students,” said Modali. “I’m very happy I’m doing what I wanted to.”

For other students, such as biology major Stephaine Ijaola, they come to the festival to share their culture and also enjoy the free food.

“I think it’s just awesome to get to see everyone’s different cultural backgrounds,” she said.

The International Festival is the longest running student event on the UIS campus.

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