The Ethnic Student Council (ESC) recently hosted the Unity Showcase on April 5, which featured amazing performances by a variety of different student organizations. Unity is an annual celebration of the various cultures at Stevens and gives students an opportunity to participate and create a dance routine and skit tailored to the overarching theme. This year’s theme was “Finding Our Way,” which was uniquely embodied by each participating organization. However, the Korean Student Association was the organization that took home the grand award: Best in Show.
The Stute had the opportunity to interview Clara Lu, the incoming President of the ESC, about the tradition of Unity. Lu shared how the Unity Showcase was started in the late 1990s, and its first-ever winner was the Latin American Association (LAA). Before the pandemic, the ESC would also host a Unity Carnival, in which each cultural organization was assigned a booth, with the point of the event being to foster a more interactive means of learning about different cultures. Lu also stated how it is something that the ESC is hoping to bring back.
In terms of the program, this year’s show kicked off with the Japanese Student Association presenting an opening speech about solidarity and hope. Following this, six cultural organizations performed a skit that combined their culture with the theme Finding Our Way. The Filipino Association of Stevens Tech (FAST) presented a story on the creation of the Philippines, which involved two parents journeying far and long to meet their children who have prospered above the challenges presented. Next, the LAA presented a story of the challenges surrounding the transition from high school to college for a Latin American student and how they find their community in college and embark on a journey to reconnect with their culture. The Indian Undergraduate Association (IUA) told the time-traveling story of two people who ended up in the past and saw how their families moved past painful hardships such as dealing with colonialism and moving abroad. The Black Student Union (BSU) used the story of the Wizard of Oz to explore different aspects of the African diaspora and connect it with dance, musical instruments, and culture. The Korean Student Association’s (KSA) story was about a cruel emperor who banned the Korean alphabet and how his estranged son, who took the throne afterward, vowed to do better. The most emotional act of the night was from the Chinese Student Association (CSA). They presented the cultural differences between Chinese mothers and their American-born children and how, even though there are cultural disconnects, the children ultimately come to understand where their mothers are coming from.
Following all the beautiful performances by the cultural organizations, the judges went to work. In the meantime, the audience enjoyed several other performances by organizations such as Technique, who told a very vibrant story of dealing with heartbreak and picking oneself up through various dance styles. Next, there were performances by several organizations that encompass the Cultural Greek Council, which include Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Inc., Nu Alpha Phi Fraternity, Inc., Omega Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Sigma Psi Zeta Sorority, Inc., and Lambda Tau Omega Sorority, Inc.
The last and most anticipated segment of the show was announcing the winners. The judges for this year’s Unity were Lilianna Delman, director of the Office of Student Culture and Belonging, Jordan Wang, a recent graduate who had previously been ESC President for two years, Natasha Oramas, a Senior Financial Analyst for Stevens, and Professor Billy Middleton, who works as a teaching associate professor at Stevens. There were a total of seven awards, including the Best in Show award, which was given to the team with the most points, and the People’s Choice Award, which was determined through a live audience vote. The CSA was awarded the Most Active and Most Relevant to Theme awards. FAST won the Most Cultural award. The biggest winner, KSA, took home four out of the seven awards, winning Most Creative, Best Execution, People’s Choice, and Best in Show awards.
