International club celebrates world cultures

Dylan McManis

Every year, Washburn welcomes hundreds of international students. The International Club’s annual Celebration of Cultures concert is where these students get to strut their stuff.

On Oct. 30, Washburn held the concert in conjunction with the International House and the International Club. Together, the groups organized the event and set up multiple stands focused on the various international students’ countries. These stands were run by the international students themselves and offered snacks for the attendees to enjoy before the show.

At the concert, 14 different groups performed on stage, with performances including singing, dancing, nunchucks and guest performances from the Topeka High School Chinese classes. Jiyoon Park, a young cello player, and his mother, who accompanied him on piano, also performed.

Just before intermission there was a presentation on the Nepali earthquake that occurred April 25. Many international students at Washburn are from Nepal, and many were impacted to some degree by this natural disaster.

A major goal for the concert was to raise money for the relief fund to help buy textbooks for Nepali school children in Langtang village, the populated area that was affected by the earthquake. The concert was free to attend, but a donation box was located at the Nepali table which concertgoers were encouraged to donate to.