One of the things I love most about UCLA is the diversity. There are so many students with unique cultural backgrounds and different stories to tell!

This past Wednesday, I had the honor of putting on an inaugural mini world exposition for the UCLA community. As part of the “mastermind” team, I was able to see the process of bringing this concept into reality. World In-Sight was a campus fair dedicated to showcasing the diverse UCLA student body. By partnering with over twenty-five student groups, this fair featured nearly thirty different countries/cultures through interactive games, booths, and performances! After months of hard work preparing, it was such a great feeling to see the whole idea coming into being.

I think part of the reason why I wanted to join the WIS team was because of my background. Since I come from Taiwan, a small island off the coast of Taiwan, I’ve encountered many people who (albeit well-meaning) still have various misconceptions about my culture. This fair was a small step in the direction of introducing people to different cultures and creating a platform that would hopefully introduce cross-cultural dialogue! When I took a break from the registration booth to “tour the world” and snap a couple of photos, I was amazed by all the hard work that the student groups had put into their booths. At the Malaysian booth, my friend was performing ridiculous pouring feats while making Teh Tarik (pulled tea) and another friend was drawing intricate henna tattoos; at the English booth they had a live DJ and amazing artwork; at the French booth the delicious smell of crepes wafted out, Thailand and Cambodia had students in beautiful traditional clothing…

 

After coming to UCLA, I’ve truly come to appreciate the world a lot more. I’ve come to learn that everybody has a story to tell, and that there is so much out there for me to learn. World In-Sight definitely gave me some insight into different cultures, and I was truly honored to have been able to serve as the marketing director for this event. I can’t wait until we reprise the event next year, hopefully with an even more diverse representation!