In celebration of International Education Month, the English Language and Communication program hosted International MASKerade Cabaret Night on Saturday evening. The event was open to all members of the Stevens community, including faculty and staff, and showcased the variety of cultures found in the graduate student population.
Throughout the night, attendees, many of whom were dressed in masks, enjoyed a variety of cultural performances by members of the graduate student body. These performances included the playing of culturally unique instruments such as the Chinese Zither, and singing acts including the performance of Bollywood songs. There was also a buffet of several different ethnic foods and a photo booth for people to take pictures of themselves wearing their masks.
The entire event was a creative mixture of different types of entertainment for all members of the Stevens community to enjoy. “We want to showcase our international graduate students so people can get to know about who they are and their culture.” said Sophie Hales, Coordinator of the English Language and Communication program. Hales also discussed the low profile of graduate student events on campus, and said that MASKerade Cabaret Night was an opportunity to bring graduate students together and encourage their involvement on campus. “They do organize their own events, but we wanted to organize an event that brings them all together.”
As much as the event brought together different cultures, it brought together different members of the Stevens community. Assistant Coordinator of English Language and Communication Helene Beck accurately described it as a “cross between departments”. Not only was the event open to everyone, but it was also put together by different groups and individuals. One of the night’s musical performances was by five undergraduate Music and Technology majors. The Audio Engineering Club, an undergraduate student organization, managed the event’s sound requirements.
This was English Language and Communication’s third time running the event, and the coordinators said they were excited to host it again next year and to expand the amount of cultures celebrated.
