International Festival Week

The International Festival is arguably the biggest event at the University of Bridgeport and yet not too many people got to experience it as it was in years previous. Students in the International Festival Committee along with Edina Oestreicher, staff, and other faulty members helped to make it happen the large and very time consuming task of planning the international festival. It was the first year that the International Festival was not set up with booths displaying different ethic backgrounds from students at UB, but it was still a great week full of festivities. International Festival Week started off with movies being shown in the social room representing different cinema films from different parts of the world. The next big event was, of course, at Marina dinning hall. Tables were decorated in colorful table cloths, flags displaying the diverse population at the University of Bridgeport and various ethnic foods from around the world. Food being served from Latin America, Europe, Asia, Middle East, Caribbean and Africa. Students also enjoyed the lively music being played on each day corresponding to the countries. Lectures were held by respected professors at the University and all these events lead up to the main even: The 30th Annual International Festival. The crowd was lively and excited to see all the performances. The performances celebrated different cultures such as Columbia, Haiti, Korea, Japan and so many more countries from around the world displaying the diverse population from the University of Bridgeport. The show opened with a flag procession where students held their countries flag greeting everyone in traditional clothing and language from their native countries. The master of ceremonies Kaisha Sherrills and Richard Greenwood kept the crowd enthusiastic as the groups came out. There was an eclectic mix of bands, groups dancing, singing, and even a skit filled with colorful props. Each band had a unique presentation and competed for the prizes at hand. There was a total of seven Judges which included Stephan Grodzinsky a professor in the school of engineering, Paula Quenoy the director of Career services and other distinguished members of the University of Bridgeport. The judges sat observing each performance as the crowd was amazed by so many talented students performing and representing their ethnic backgrounds. At the conclusion of the performance the lucky winners were announced Columbia, India (snagging two prizes), U.A.E, Soul Beat, and the biggest prize was awarded to the biggest group- China. They had a unique performance of dancers and a duet. The event was a great success with students cheering on the wonderful performances and the MC’s who put all their energy into pumping people up for the next performance. The 30th International festival was completely different than the previous 29 times it has occurred, but it was proved on April 8th, 2005 that change is not necessarily a bad thing. We can only wait till next year and all the great performances that will take place.