Around the world in an evening

Graduate students host third annual Graduate International Culture Night

Members of the Rice community enjoyed a trip around the world Feb. 17 as graduate students from 57 countries celebrated their heritage with a parade of flags, performances and exotic cuisine during the third annual Graduate International Culture Night.

“Rice is an extraordinary place, and the diversity of our student body is one of the things that makes it such a wonderful place to be,” President David Leebron said in his welcoming remarks. “If you just walk across the campus, you have a sense of taking a little ‘global voyage’ as you engage in conversation with the people you meet.”

Members of the Rice community enjoyed a trip around the world Feb. 17 as graduate students from 57 countries celebrated their heritage with a parade of flags, performances and exotic cuisine during the third annual Graduate International Culture Night. Photo by Eli Spector.

In honor of Rice’s centennial year, the event’s theme was “Celebrate Rice” and participants were encouraged to showcase how their various cultures have — like Rice University — evolved over the last 100 years.

Graduate International Culture Night gives Rice’s diverse population an opportunity to celebrate being part of one inclusive community while showcasing what makes their individual countries special, said Sumedh Warudkar, president of the Graduate Student Association (GSA), which was a sponsor of the event.

“Nearly 70 countries are represented in Rice’s graduate student community, but some of these countries have few representatives, which hinders them from hosting a cultural show of their own,” Warudkar said. “Tonight we provide a platform for these students to share their rich heritage and culture.”

From an Argentinean tango dance and a Korean martial arts demonstration to a Nigerian drum performance and a tribute to Bollywood, the different cultures were well displayed for the standing-room-only audience in Grand Hall.

“I think it’s really great,” said Clark Needham, external vice president of the GSA. “It adds to the Rice experience. This event really puts (the community’s diversity) on display, and it’s exciting to see it all in one place.”

This diversity and inclusiveness is one of the best things about being a Rice student, said graduate student Liz Figueroa.

“Everyone’s so open, so accepting,” she said. “It’s a completely liberal, open-minded place to be. You get to know people for who they are, and not where they’re from or what language they speak.”

The event was sponsored by the GSA, the Student Activities and Presidents Programming Fund, the Graduate Alumni Committee, the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, the Office of International Students and Scholars, Rice Graduate Housing and the Rice Centennial Celebration Team.