Every year, Lewis & Clark College celebrates the rich diversity of cultures that shape the campus community with the International Fair. This year, it occurred on March 1 and marked the 60th anniversary of the event. The theme this year was “Platinum Discovery: Connecting Worlds, Bridging Differences.” The event reflects the institution’s commitment to fostering international understanding among the community.
Each year, international students immerse themselves in the role of region chairs, and take on the responsibility of indulging the entire community in their experience in their region of the globe. This year, the event had 16 chairs from seven different regions. The Middle East and North Africa region was led by Syd El Kadri ’28 and Sarah Jabbarnia ’28. Alvin Kilvenga ’27 chaired for sub-Saharan Africa. East and Southeast Asia was headed together by Polly Ren ’25 and Nero Chau ’28. Ahika Jani ’28, Khyaan Choksi ’28 and Autondrila ’28 teamed up to represent South Asia. Europe was chaired by Ajlin Zepcan ’28 and Ajsa Mustafic ’28. Monique Dias ’28 and Jatniel Sanchez ’28 chaired for South America. Lastly, Kiara González ’27 and Saleth Sierra ’27 led the Caribbean and Central America Region.
Interviews with performers and chairs helped highlight the process and sentiments involved in the creation of this annual event.
This year, Sierra chaired her region for the second time. She explained that the role requires chairs to attend several meetings to plan out the representation of their region. They also work closely with Bon Appétit to personalize regional menus and share recipes with the chef. Some chose to hold workshops and events prior to the day of the fair as well. Sierra shared that a common difficulty is to recruit members to perform while ensuring a certain degree of commitment from them.
“Last year I didn’t have as much help as I did this year. For example, last year I had a big issue in organizing a dance for the Latin American region because many people were telling me they would do it, but no one really offered,” Sierra said.
However, this year the organizational dynamics were largely different. For instance, many first-year students were a lot more enthusiastic and readily available to make the performances happen.
“I think they surpassed what we did in the past, and I am very impressed by them,” Sierra said.
Parina Naeck ’28 and Nkeletso Mota ’28 are first years who performed this year. Mota is from South Africa and she was a part of the Sub-Saharan Africa committee. She mentioned how at first, she was intimidated by the idea of performing in front of everyone but when she realized a lot of her friends were involved, she chose to step in. She expresses that the entire experience before and on the day of the fair made her feel closer to home.
“I feel like it was fun because it was so chill, it didn’t have to be like you have to get the moves right, like it wasn’t strict which I liked. It felt like a piece of home,” Mota said.
Naeck is from the island of Mauritius off the coast of East Africa, but she also took part in a regional dance from Haiti alongside her peers. While recollecting her experiences, she highlighted how it was fascinating and educational to be involved in someone else’s culture.
“I personally learnt a lot about the country through that. For example, Rebecca used to talk a lot about the carnivals in Haiti and how they dance there, and what they would usually wear as costumes. It was a great opportunity to learn about her country and life too,” Naeck said.
The audience truly felt the welcoming nature of the event as they cheered out loud for their peers. Some dances taught the steps to the audience, and they actively joined in with the piece happening on stage. This was well-aligned with the goal of the chairs and performers who have an ongoing eagerness to spread aspects of their cultural identity with their peers. For instance, Sierra emphasized how her happiness on the day derives from the opportunity for her culture to be seen.
“Yeah, you see me in classes, but there are other parts of me you might not know in there, but let me show you today,” Sierra said.
The International Fair, at its core, resurfaces feelings of belonging for the international community on campus through the chaos of bringing the event together. In the midst of plentiful responsibilities carried by all participating members, their collaborative efforts displayed a sense of camaraderie among them.
Being in that atmosphere was refreshing as a fellow International student, especially with the accompaniment of a sunny warm day in Portland. The South Asia table provided Henna so people could receive Henna tattoos. It was remarkable to see how everyone was fascinated over the simple traditional activity of applying Henna, and how that led to unveiling conversations about South Asian culture.
On the day of the fair, the vibrant solidarity was widely dispersed in the room. Everyone in the community, domestic or international, felt a heightened sense of connection to one another. The event reinforces the foundations of college friendships and continually bridges gaps shared by American and international members of the community.
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