The Cultural Showcase held March 25 was an immersive evening full of dancing, stories and students sharing their culture.
The Utah Tech Student Association hosted the event at the Gardner Student Center ballroom. It included members of the Utah Tech Indigenous Student Organization, Student Organization of Latinos, Pasefika Student Union and the Ballroom Dance Company.
Michael Olsingch, UTSA’s cultural club representative and a freshman mechatronics major from Wildomar, California, said, “I love culture, and I love people having a community to go to, and I love having a way to express culture.”
He shared this event is meaningful to him because it’s an “opportunity to be able to express my own culture” and learn new things about other students and their cultures. Olsingch said it has been fun to watch students prepare for this event and show how much they care about their own culture.
The event opened with an American Sign Language interpretation of the song “Go My Son,” a song about indigenous students receiving higher education. Olsingch said the performance “heartfelt and powerful.” The evening continued with stories and dances performed by members of the ballroom team, Student Organization of Latinos and Pasefika Student Union.
Each club was able to share the history behind their dance or a personal experience they have had with their dance. Music filled the room as dancers moved across the ballroom stage. Smiles flashed across the faces of the dancers and members of the audience as they represented a piece of their culture.
Silvia Fuente Perez, a sophomore psychology major from Leganes, Spain, said she came to the event to support her friend on the ballroom team. Perez said, “I love supporting people… I feel like showing up to whatever it is, it’s important.”
Leah Larsen, a freshman recreation and sports management major from West Jordan and the belonging and wellness coordinator for UTSA, said: “The Cultural Showcase was meant to be a celebration of all the different students we have on campus. They all come from different backgrounds and have different stories, and that was the whole point that we wanted to come across with the Cultural Showcase.”
Students from different backgrounds and cultures came together to support this event. Larsen said: “My favorite part of this event was seeing everyone show up and support all the different groups… I love that everyone was there for each other, to support each other.”
One thing Larsen loves about Utah Tech is it’s “such a close, tight-knit community.” She said the showcase really displayed that feeling of unity.
Olsingch said he loves that this event allows students to have a platform where they can represent their culture and strengthen their community while doing it.
“I love seeing how much they love what they’re doing,” Olsingch said.
