Throughout the month of February, various organizations have been working diligently to spread greater awareness about their rich cultural history. From sharing the powerful stories of black trailblazers for Black History Month, to the establishment of the Young Latina Leaders organization, these unique clubs have prompted students at College Park to explore outside of their own sphere. This week, these clubs will collaborate with another to produce a grand cultural exhibit.

Friday, Feb.10, the school will be hosting their annual Culture Fest from 4-6 pm in the Commons. The event will provide each organization opportunities to showcase the beauty and uniqueness of their cultural backgrounds.

“Culture fest is a celebration of the diversity in our school,” junior and Vice President of the African Student Association club Grace Udoh said. “ It’s an opportunity for students to showcase and educate one another about their culture and backgrounds. All the cultural clubs such as the Chinese Club, Japanese Club, African Student Association and the Spanish Honors Society will be participating this year.”

Members of the African Student Association–an organization that had been established late last year– are ecstatic to showcase their countries’ diverse traditions. They will be selling jewelry and traditional Nigerian food throughout the event.

“We are performing a fashion show and having a jollof rice debate, and we will also have a game table!” senior and president of the African Student Association Ara Odelowo said.

Members of the Japanese club are also eager to illustrate the beauty of their background as well as debunking popular misconceptions. With Japanese culture scarcely represented in Texas, the event will enable them to communicate their distinct religions and music to their peers.

“I feel very happy to be a part of the culture festival and being able to show off the beautiful culture of Japan is a blessing,” sophomore and Public relations officer Jia Esparxa said. “ In Texas, of course, there isn’t too much representation from other countries so I really feel like the culture festival is a great way to teach students about how unique and beautiful different customs, religions, and overall culture can be! I have learned so much stuff about Japan after joining the Japanese club, so now that I am an officer I feel so grateful to be able to teach it all to other students interested!”

Korean Club President Jayda Shaw and her team will be performing some of the popular KPOP songs later in the event: Attention by NewJeans, Awkward Silence by Stray Kids, Fancy by Twice, and Loco by ITZY. They will also being selling traditional Korean food (bibimbap 비빔밥), and games (jegichagi 제기차기, ddakji 딱지, and gonggi 공기).

“Culture fest is a fun event where we get to show off a little bit of our culture,” Shaw said. “Hopefully people are able to learn from this event, but even if they just come for the food, games, and performances, we have a great time performing and sharing our culture with CP!”

The admittance to the festival is free, but students are encouraged to bring money to purchase food and merchandise sold throughout the event. For more information, visit any one of the club’s social media pages.