As the new school year kicks off, it has become a Northeastern tradition to celebrate the multiculturalism of the school through an annual carnival-style event — the Husky Global Fair, or HGF. At the Sept. 10 event, participants could watch performances, play games and learn more about different cultural organizations on campus.

HGF was first started by NU Barkada, an organization that unites people who embrace Filipino culture. Each year, Barkada is supported by co-sponsors to put together the event, the club’s internal relations officer, second-year business administration major Gabriel Carrascoso said. This year HGF was co-hosted by Barkada, Eon Dance Troupe, Japanese Student Association, Chinese Student Association, Sigma Psi Zeta and Northeastern African Student Organization.

With tables from almost 20 different organizations, students could walk around the perimeter of the Centennial Common and learn about each organization and the culture behind it. 

“I really liked how there were a lot of organizations there from different parts of the world. It is a great way to immerse myself into a culture that I have never experienced before,” said Maya Lalicon, a fourth-year mechanical engineering major and the vice president of the Asian Student Union, or ASU, a club that promotes awareness of Asian American culture and Asian heritage.

Benjamin Rao, a second-year business administration and economic combined major, is one of the event coordinators of Chinese Student Association, or CSA, a club that spreads awareness of Chinese and Chinese American culture and provides a community for interested students. 

“Although I was behind the table for almost the entirety of the event, it was fun to see people of different backgrounds come together and learn about Chinese culture,” Rao said.

To add to the celebration, Kowloon Restaurant, a restaurant offering Asian meals since 1950, catered the event. Volunteers served food in front of Ryder Hall to two long lines waiting for dishes like lo mein, spring rolls and chicken wings. 

“The food was good. As someone who identifies as a member of the Chinese-American community, it reminded me of home,” said Raymond Lam, a second-year business administration major. 

Celebrations continued with performances from multiple organizations, including KADA, Northeastern’s K-pop dance team, and the New England Bhangra Club, or NEBC.

“The dances were pretty good. I really enjoyed the performances by KADA, NU Breakers, ASU Dance, NU Barkada, NU Irish Dance Club, and NEBC,” said second-year computer science and design combined major Alvin Wong. “They were really fun to watch in general. I had a great time.” 

Jacqueline Chiu, a second-year business administration and economic major, is the performance coordinator for Sigma Psi Zeta, a multicultural Asian-interest sorority. 

“Because Sigma Psi Zeta is a multicultural, Asian-interest sorority, we have members from a variety of backgrounds,” Chiu said. “This made it pretty tough for us to decide what we wanted to do.” 

Chiu said she decided that dancing to K-Pop was a good way to celebrate diversity as the rise in the popularity of K-Pop in America has really helped push the awareness of Asian cultures in the United States. 

With all the work put into these performances, second-year health science major Mariella Todebush believed that the hard work paid off. 

“There were a variety of cultures [that were showcased],” Todebush said. “They were really fun and upbeat. The crowd was very into it as well. It was impressive how everyone memorized the choreography.”