The International Club held their annual International Fashion show Monday night in the Smith Student Center ballroom as part of the 44th International Week which runs from November 4 to the 10.
International Week is co-sponsored by The Internation Club, the Office for Global Engagement and the Study Abroad Club.
International Week is a celebration that aims to offer educational entertainment and a variety of cultural events to promote the diverse heritage and culture of SRU’s international student population.
The International Fashion Show featured international and American students that modeled clothing from various regions and cultures including: Europe, South Asia, East Asia, Africa and America. This show allowed international students to show off their traditional dress from their home countries.
The International Fashion Show, as well as International Week, is a great way to experience different cultures and learn a little about different traditions, food, and other cultural aspects.
Students spent three hours the day before the event and four hours the day of the event rehearsing.
Prajwal Ghimire, sophomore computer science major from Nepal and one of the hosts for the evening said, “It’s a great opportunity and you get to know people and you can talk, speak up and make friends. This is a really good opportunity to do something like this if you want to be involved in the club.”
“You don’t have to be international to walk in the show,” said Jason Goodman sophomore exercise science major. “You can talk to anyone in the international club, they are all cool and accepting and would be happy to answer any questions.”
Carla Cintron Aquino, a junior biology major and model in the show, represented Puerto Rico.
“My family is from Puerto Rico, I’m first generation here in the continental United States,” Cintron Aquino said. “[My favorite part of the show was] getting to express myself and wave around my flag and represent my country.”
Koki Kawaguchi, a junior athletic training and exercise science dual major and President of the International Club said, “My favorite thing about the International Fashion Show was it gave us a chance to show our traditional clothes and to get even domestic students to experience to wear traditional clothes from other foreign countries.” Kawaguchi participated as a model from the American region.
Models strutted down the runway at the International Fashion Show, representing their country or region in culturally significant attire. For some models, the performance hit close to home.
“My dad plays the congas which is a traditional drum for Puerto Rican music and my parents used to be in a band, so my mom had all the dresses and everything from dancing in the band,” Cintron Aquino said.
“Being an international student is sometimes tough because of the cultural difference, language barrier or separation from the family. However, all of the international and domestic students in our club are like one big family. We support each other, have fun and spend a lot of time together. Our club is just giving them a place where international and domestic students get to know each other better and to unite as a big family,” Kawaguchi said.
The International Fashion Show is one way that the International Club promotes diversity on campus. This show gives international students and American students the opportunity to come together and showcase clothing from different cultures all around the world while learning about traditional clothing from the designated regions represented in the show.
If you want to learn more about the International Club, follow them on Twitter @sruinternations or on Instagram @sru_internationsclub.
