Intercultural week, in partnership with the Diversity, Inclusion and Racial Healing (DIRHA) program, was filled with activities designed to showcase the diverse community of the student body. Through a special cafeteria menu, students could expand their knowledge of cultural foods through items like beef bulgogi and chickpea curry. There were also lunch activities, such as cultural trivia and games that were held throughout the week.
The food and craft fair was also part of these activities where clubs had the opportunity to sell cultural foods and craft items. For this special lunch activity, clubs had the opportunity to not only raise funds but to gain new members as well.
Persian Club:
Junior and Persian Club president Sepehr Alizadeh hoped to gain more representation with his club and to introduce it to new members during the fair.
“We just [brought] some of our cultural food…some kebab [and] Persian pastries,” Alizadeh said.
Besides bringing together a cultural community at Woodbridge High, the club also includes volunteering activities to the Persian community outside of campus.
Alizadeh mentions that they partner with the Association of Iranian American Seniors (NEDA), who host activities for the senior Persian/Iranian community at the Lakeview Senior Center.
“We just partner with them every Thursday after school [and] we go and we help the seniors out,” Alizadeh said.
The activities include dancing, poetry reading and music which encourage seniors to foster socialization within the association.
From this event, Alizadeh hopes to raise funds for the Persian club in order to work with more organizations similar to NEDA in the future.
South Asian Student Association:
Similar to the Persian club, the South Asian Student Association (SASA) club aimed to reach out to as many individuals as possible and to gain new members during the food fair while showcasing their cultural food.
“South Asian Student Association [sold] samosas and mango lassies, which are Indian food or South Asian food,” vice president and senior Aarushi Mehta said.
The club’s philosophy is not only to gain more representation on campus, but to encourage others to learn more about South Asian culture by joining the club.
“We wanted to participate because we wanted to spread our South Asian appreciation,” Mehta said. “I think that a lot of people in our club are not even South Asians, but they just celebrate our culture. By selling foods that resemble our culture the most, we [increase] engagement in our club.”
Outside of Woodbridge High, SASA partners with the other clubs in the Irvine Unified School District (IUSD) high schools such, as Irvine High and University High. Mehta also explained that the club is entirely self-funded, and that through the fair, they hope to raise funds to host more events celebrating South Asian holidays like Diwali and Holi.
Planning the Food Fair:
In terms of planning the event, the Associated Student Body (ASB) Human Relations Commissioner Enerel Bilegdemberel was part of the committee to bring the ideas of Intercultural Fair to life.
Bilegdemberel explained that the idea came from the ASB Vice President, and he was mainly in charge of executing the event while working with the Diversity, Inclusion and Racial Healing (DIRHA) program president and ASB Clubs Commissioner. The purpose of the event was to not only showcase a diverse range of cultures on campus, but to support smaller clubs and to encourage membership.
“Usually when people want to join a club, it’s hard to tell which one is good for you especially when they are in a list format,” Bilegdemberel said. “You aren’t really sure who the people who run the club are, but with the food fair we are trying to showcase that.”
In the future, Bilegdemberel hopes to host this event annually and to have better communication between ASB and DIRHA board members in order to plan more smoothly.
The Intercultural Week served to promote an inclusive environment.
eek served to promote an inclusive environment.
