Every spring the Office of International Student Affairs collaborates with the International Student Council and Undergraduate Student Government to put on the International Talent and Fashion Show.

The International Talent and Fashion Show allows international students to showcase their talents and the fashion of their culture to domestic and fellow international students. The event will represent 11 different countries with over 20 performers that include children, undergraduate students and graduate students.

“There has been a lot of interest from international students to share parts of their culture with one another and with domestic students, staff and faculty,” said Ash Mierau, director of International Student Affairs. “A lot of students are really proud of where they come from, and they want to show some of those things off to the American students here.”

Performers from Bangladesh, India, Iran, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, South Korea, Nigeria and more showcased their talents and fashion that ranged from traditional clothing to modern clothing and musical instruments to magic tricks. The room was full of joyful cheers as people danced along with the musical numbers and clapped to the rhythm of the instruments.

“It is as if you bring the entire world on stage. So you see a manifestation of each culture and country in just a few minutes,” said Tasnim Al-Naimi, president of the International Student Council. “You come in and leave in high spirits.”

Ogulkeyik Hudayberdiyeva, sophomore communications major, performed a traditional song from her native country of Turkmenistan. 

“I wanted people to hear what kind of music and songs we perform in Turkmenistan,” Hudayberdiyeva said. “I really wanted people to hear the beats and the words in my native language.”

Each performance gave the audience a look at different aspects of each culture. One of the performances included four different tribes from Nigeria, where they introduced each tribe with facts about what makes them different from one another.

“Each culture is so beautiful,” Al-Naimi said. “Yes, we are different, but that does not mean that we do not have similarities. So such events can really humanize one another.”

One of the many goals of the event is to bring international students and domestic students together so that cultures and experiences can be shared.

“There is a lot of interest from the American students here just to learn more about the world and experience new things,” Mierau said. “There has been a lot of focus on intercultural programming throughout the years and this has been a really great example of a program that really exemplifies intercultural relationships.”

The International Talent and Fashion Show is one of the many events the university organizes for international students on campus to help them feel welcomed and at home.

“Events like this are so important because we come from countries that are an ocean away,” Hudayberdiyeva said. “This is one of the many ways that KSU makes international students feel welcomed.”

Ashley Caudill is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].

Nuried Hurtado is a TV2 reporter. Contact her at [email protected].