This year’s Multicultural Extravaganza provided new students with the opportunity to explore various multicultural organizations.
With cultural flags strung along the walkway by the Marketplace and organizations lining the Peace Quad, the vice president for multicultural affairs’ office organized this year’s ninth-annual Multicultural Extravaganza on Saturday afternoon. Several multicultural organizations, including Corazoncitos, the Dominican Student Association and the Asian Student Union, tabled.
Krizia Yao, the vice president of multicultural affairs and a senior majoring in human development, shared the event’s importance.
“I hope that students walk away with a stronger sense of community,” Yao wrote in an email. “At a [predominantly white institution], it can be crucial to your sense of belonging to connect with those of your own culture and form a deeper connection to your roots. But also, this event exists so students can fully explore the multicultural community, learn about other cultures, and get out of their comfort zone.”
Organizations tabling had members of their leadership available to describe their organizations’ goals and how to get involved. The tables were decorated with the organization’s designated colors. A few had poster boards with the club’s general information and QR codes for their GroupMe and other forms of contact.
The National Society of Black Engineers was among the various organizations at the event. Natalia Budhoo, the organization’s president and a senior majoring in mechanical engineering, described her goals for the event. Though NSBE is centered around supporting Black engineers, Budhoo said their organization is open to students of all cultural backgrounds with various STEM interests.
“I was actually in NSBE Jr. in high school, so that’s the first part that got me into NSBE itself in college,” Budhoo said. “[With] NSBE Jr. in high school, I was working on remote cars, so it was really fun for me. Then in college, I wanted a community because I’m the only Black girl in all of my engineering classes. I needed a space for me to be able to see people like me who are having the same struggles in their classes. That’s why I joined NSBE — so I can have a community and a family with people who look exactly like me.”
The organization has several ongoing projects that they work on throughout the year and want to welcome anyone interested in being a part of their team. They have opened technical workshops, a project team that builds various projects and the Watson Combat Robotics League. Members of the organization also work to inspire youth to continue in STEM-based careers through projects like putting together LEGOs and creating bottle rockets.
Tenzin Pema, an Asian Student Union’s senior advisor and a senior majoring in economics, described the importance of participating in the Multicultural Extravaganza.
“We are [the] Asian Student Union, so we do represent the Asian community on campus, and I think it’s super important to come out to events like this to not only support the VPMA, but also to just show face and meet other multicultural [organizations] on campus,” Pema said. “I think this is one of the rare opportunities where we get to see all these [organizations] in one spot. That’s why I think it’s really special and cool for ASU and the Asian community in general.”
As this year’s VPMA, Yao hopes to take advantage of her position by expanding avenues of communication and growth within the multicultural community.
“I am truly grateful for the position that I am in, having an incredibly supportive team and resources from the university to uplift the multicultural community,” Yao wrote. “In the one year I have in this role, I aim to take advantage of it as much as possible to create open channels of communication and collaboration amongst our lovely and vibrant community. My goal is to listen and leave an impact in a way that truly sets a foundation for years to come, with a community that feels more supported and connected.”
The VPMA office, alongside the Multicultural Resource Center, is working on the B-Friendly buddy system, which pairs students based on their personalities and interests. The office also has a Multicultural Organization Google Calendar and a Discord server, both of which are designed to build stronger connections between organizations.
