Lily Oh ‘27
In the photo are the Brazilian student representatives, Levy DaSilva ’25 and Angelica Duarte ’25, who were serving Brazilian food Pão de queijo, bread rolls and a type of Brazilian street snack, to the guests.
The Patterson Sculley lobby is full of busy students and delicious smells! People are busy cooking their cultural food to present at the cultural fair and decorating their cultural boards.
The Cultural Fair, a celebration of our diverse community, was held in the MFAC on Friday, May 3rd, 2024. Students from a rich tapestry of cultural backgrounds, including the United States, South Korea, Palestine, Brazil, Puerto Rico, and Greece, came together to share their unique traditions. The gym was alive with the spirit of togetherness and understanding that day.
The Cultural Fair is an annual festival at St. Mark's where people are encouraged to present their national, cultural background, and social identity, such as that of the LGBTQ+ community. The festival aims to bring awareness to diverse cultures in the community so that students can become more open-minded. During the Cultural Fair, the South Korean community presented a traditional fish cake soup to the community, which most were unfamiliar with. At first, people were afraid to try the foreign soup, but after trying it, they all enjoyed it and wanted more. This episode shows the importance of continuing the cultural fair. By experiencing different food and music, students and faculty members can better understand unfamiliar cultures.
However, some people wished the festival could have been more organized. The tables for each culture were connected and only arranged in half of the gym, so students were very crowded among the tables. The lack of space made it hard to differentiate the tables and queues. Also, Lillian Li '27 elaborated that the cultural fair would have been more engaging if the students had been given more information about each culture and the festival itself via email.
Despite the slight confusion among the arrangements, the Cultural Fair was a resounding success! We appreciate the feedback and suggestions for improvement. Thank you to the faculty members, the C&E prefects, and the students who participated in the Cultural Fair. We look forward to the Cultural Fair becoming an even more engaging and informative annual tradition that will lead St. Mark's to a more open and welcoming community!