Amy Garno
Staff Writer
This year, Siena Heights University’s (SHU) 6th Annual International Dinner was a huge success. It took place in the Field House on Sunday, November 18, from 5-8pm. Free tickets, sponsored by the Student Senate, were offered to full-time students; one hundred more than last year. Discounted tickets for seniors and children were sponsored by the International Office. There were also more tickets sold this year to SHU faculty, staff and the community, totaling 500. Halo, the SHU mascot, was there to give the thumbs up to the event and greet the guests as they came in.
Gabriel Dunbar, Patricia Zedler, SHU graduate student, and Ines Rodriguez, SHU undergrad, entertained the guests all evening with their good humor and the various dance groups and musicians. The cultural acts ranged from; African drums and dance, Korean dance, Russian dance, Zimbabwe dance, SHU’s very own choir and dance teams, to Lucy Hagedorn opening up the dinner with “Amazing Grace”. It was truly an amazing evening! Fatme Abed, SHU’s International Public Relations Specialist, said, “We realized that we could educate people about the various cultures through the International Dinner and have fun at the same time”.
There were two long lines of ethnic foods, served buffet style by the students. The plates were loaded up with samples of the various foods and many went back for seconds.
Jazz music, played by the duo, Ahmid Alexander from Ann Arbor on the saxophone and Mike Powell from Kalamazoo on the guitar, gave the dinner a relaxed atmosphere. Colorful hats and props were offered to people as they teamed up to go into the photo booth to create lasting memories of the gala event. Vera Alverez, Coordinator of International Admissions at Siena Heights, commented, “We realized that this has been the most successful year of all because of the genuine interest and involvement from the students, staff and other organizations in the community. The unity of everyone working together truly made the event a success”.
