Story by TAYLOR THOMPSON Photos by NICK McCOY & TAYLOR THOMPSON
Tiger Media Network
On Monday night, the International Festival gave international students an opportunity to showcase different food, fashion, and music from around the world.
The annual event was hosted by International Student Services as part of International Education Week, which aims to celebrate global engagement as well as foster an inclusive international community.
The table for Venezuela, serving Arepas, a type of flatbread and national dish, to students. 
Amadou Diaware, running the table for Senegal, serves Chicken Yassa to students. 
Fatin Yaro, running the table for the country of Burkina Faso, serves his food, peanut butter and rice, to a student. 
The Thailand table ran by Natnaree Lertprasertsuk, serving Spicy Thai salad. 
A table for Nigeria, run by Damilola Atanda and serving Jollof rice, fried plantains and chicken. 
A table serving American food, specifically St. Louis Pork Ribs, headed by Daniel Williams. 
Attendees Cheryl (left) and Carly (right) pose for a photo holding a set of miniature flags.
Damilia Antanda, a graduate student in Higher Education Student Affairs, said there is a strong global community at Fort Hays State University, with students from all corners of the world.
“Aside from domestic students, I think we have people from China, Korea, Paraguay, Hungary, Austria, Nigeria, Ghana, Angola, Senegal, Brazil, Venezuela,” Atandan said. “I think in pretty much every continent, we have lots of students represented at Fort Hays.”
With such a large amount of cultural diversity on campus, Atandan said this is an event that many international students are excited about.
“It’s a period where international students are always looking forward to, especially when it comes to the food, the fashion, the showcase and all of that,” she said. “It’s just like we’re bringing everybody’s culture from where we come from into this event.”
Antanda was also personally excited about this event as she showcased her Nigerian culture.
“I’m really looking forward to it. I’m most excited about the food and the dance. And for the fact that it’s an opportunity for me to also wear my traditional cultural attire,” she said.
Coordinator of Global Engagement & Special Projects Jadyn Snyder emphasized the festival’s importance for the community, saying it is an opportunity for the community to show appreciation for international students, as well as connect with people through food and music.
“One thing that people have in common is their love for food and their love for music, and so I think it’s really important to celebrate and show appreciation to the international students because it is different living in a different country,” Snyder said. “By allowing them to share their culture it gives them an opportunity to be appreciated by the community.”
In addition to sharing cultures, Snyder said she hopes the festival will also help students have fun and relax during the final weeks of the semester.
“We’re trying to create an environment that’s fun but also informative about other cultures, to try different food and meet different people. It’s near finals week, so we have a chance to get away from studying a little bit,” she said.
Liu (Amy) Yifan, a Higher Education Student Affairs graduate student and the main event coordinator said efforts like these make international students feel heard and appreciated by the Fort Hays State University.
“I feel like international students like this event because it’s an opportunity from Fort Hays to show people our culture, and it makes us feel like Fort Hays pays attention and cares about us,” Yifan said.
After kicking off the week with the International Festival, International Education Week will continue to host more events throughout the week, including International Athlete Recognition, Global Synergy Showcase, and a Virtual National Student Exchange Fair.