The West Indian Student Organization (WISO) hosted its Easter Celebration to showcase the cultural traditions of the West Indies during Easter.
“Everyone celebrates the holidays [in the West Indies],” said Adilah Khan, a founding member and President of WISO. In the West Indies, holidays bring the family together. On Easter, families get together and fly kites and participate in boat regattas.
At the event, students could make their own kites and origami boats. Students also enjoyed popular foods from the West Indies including pholourie, maduros, plantains, empanadas, and chicken patties. At the event, Khan and other members of WISO shared their cultures with other students.
Khan was one of the founders of WISO. “When I came to Stevens, I was excited to meet people with different backgrounds,” said Khan. However, Khan also stated that she wished to meet other students who shared the same West Indian background as herself. She and other founders felt that there was not enough exposure of the West Indies at Stevens. WISO became a Step Four Registered Student Organization (RSO) last semester.
Over the next year, Khan hopes to help grow the club. She attributes their growth this year to the Ethnic Student Council (ESC). WISO was able to gather interest in their organization by participating in ESC events.
Next semester, WISO has two events on the horizon. The first event, Folkore Night, will be held in October. This is a new event in which WISO will tell folklore tales from the West Indies. The second event will be Caribbean Christmas. WISO hosted Caribbean Christmas last semester, but hopes to add performers, dancers, and instruments from the West Indies in the future.
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