By Alyshia Korba
The culture of Ithaca is largely influenced by its immigrant population, and one attraction that brings foreigners to Ithaca is its colleges and universities. Ithaca College’s International Club highlighted the cultural diversity within Ithaca at its annual Inter-Fashional Night on March 24.
The event featured students from Ithaca College and Ithaca High School who modeled outfits that represented their respective countries and cultures. As of 2021, the college has 111 international students with 58 countries represented among this population.
IC International Club is a student-run organization made up of international students as well as domestic students. The club helps students connect with each other while sharing their cultures with the Ithaca community.
Bryan Wood, co-president of IC International Club, said he struggled to acclimate to life in Ithaca when he came to the city from his home country of Ghana but found a community within the international club.
“This, for me, is a very special event because it's a way for us to showcase the unity that we have within the US as well as within IC,” Wood said. “The International Club was a way for us to show our varying differences as well, and that, for me, was something special because when I came, there weren't a lot of people that I knew. All the international students, we all came together, we got to know each other.”
Inter-Fashional Night is usually held every year, but this was the first one held in two years as the 2020 and 2021 shows had to be canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Along with the fashion show, the club also hosts its annual One World Concert in the fall semester to celebrate International Education Week.
Each model wore an outfit that represented something about their country, and they had the opportunity to talk about their outfit during the interview portion of their walk. The fashion show featured several performances along with the models including musicians, Cornell’s Teszia Belly Dance group, and IC Pulse Hip Hop. The event also had food to represent a variety of cultures and mocktails to represent different countries.
Letícia Guibunda, treasurer of IC International Club, said the club tries to provide a space to learn about and celebrate other cultures with their events.
“It's really important to have events like this on campus because we have so many amazing folks from different countries, and we don't always get to learn about that in the classroom or on a regular basis,” Guibunda said. “So coming together to share our cultures I think is really special.”
Ioanna Vargianiti participated in the event as a model representing her home country of Greece. She said she decided to join the event for the first time to celebrate her last semester at the college. Vargianiti said
“It definitely creates a lot of visibility for us, our multicultural and diverse identities, and honors our experiences and our lives in this institution, and just allows a space for celebration of us and our beautiful community,” Vargianiti said.