This past week, students gathered around the Seattle University Library Plaza, eager to enter the Global Street Fair. The event was organized and hosted by Seattle U’s Education Abroad Office.
The event transformed the campus into a hub for vibrant engagement, featuring colorful and intricate displays of numerous cultures across the world. The fair works as an opportunity for students to be made aware of the resources on campus for those interested in traveling abroad.
The Japanese Student Association, Indigenous Student Association, Caribbean and Latin American Student Association, Hidaka Taiko, Vietnamese Student Association, Political Science Club and Club Français du Monde were present at the event.
The fair featured live music from Los Flacos, a Seattle Latin music band, and the opportunity to receive henna tattoos, a type of temporary tattoo made from the leaves of the henna plant.
The Global Street Fair had an impressive layout of foods from different regions across the globe. From rice balls with nori and karaage fried chicken to jollof rice and samosas, flavors from different cultures were served around the plaza.
While the fair is largely focused on distributing information regarding study abroad opportunities, it also serves as a chance for certain clubs to interact with the student body.
Ruby Batch, vice president of the political science club, tabled for her club at the event, offering resources for the upcoming election to prospective voters.
“We’ve been trying to do more tabling for voter registration for the upcoming election. The Global Street Fair is a great opportunity to meet students and help them get involved,” Batch said.
Christina Kim, a fourth-year communications major, attended the fair to hear more about the clubs and resources from the study abroad office, but was particularly excited about trying the different foods being offered.
After leaving the fair, Kim felt excited to have had a chance to learn about different clubs and to become more involved in the future.
“Now I know about samosas and I know about all the clubs. I got to be more involved,” Kim said.
Though Kim was slightly disappointed about the food portions, having received only a singular samosa, she appreciated the opportunity to learn about some of the cultural student clubs on campus.
Given that the Global Street Fair was held in the library plaza, a part of campus that gets a lot of student foot traffic, the event ended up having people stop by who were not initially planning to. Jack Lessard, a third-year economics major, did not plan on attending the event but changed his mind when he walked by.
“I learned about a bunch of study abroad opportunities that I’m definitely going to look into more,” Lessard said.
He stated that events like this help immerse students and continue to keep them engaged on campus. Through the event, Lessard discovered a potential opportunity to study abroad in Gambia.
The Global Street Fair attracted students of all backgrounds and experiences to study abroad and explore their resources internationally and locally. The wide variety of food invited study abroad hopefuls to explore different traditions and participate in cultural exchange on campus and, eventually, abroad.
