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MCLO is spicing up the Cultural Extravaganza

By Roo Rusk, Staff Writer

Students can eat egg rolls, learn about African fashion, see a lion dance and more at the MultiCultural Leadership Organization’s annual Cultural Extravaganza on Friday.

The evening will begin with a dinner buffet at 5 p.m. and the show will start at 6:30 p.m. in the DeMattias Performance Hall.

Admission is $2 a person for the show or $5 for the show and buffet.

The almost entirely new board of six students who organize the show has been planning it since summer break.

They’re hoping to draw around 300 attendees.

"We are making it as great as possible with the handful of sponsors we were able to get into contact with," MCLO President Kimberly Pham said.

The club is known for inviting outside schools and organizations to be a part of the event. This year, students will see a variety of performances from organizations like WSU’s KVersity Dance Group, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Southwestern College, East High School’s Lion Dance Team, the Miss Vietnam Wichita 2019 Royal Court, and Newman's own Sloppy Joes improv group.

Junior Stephanie Le says the food will be something to check out this year. They’ll find things like Vietnamese egg rolls, pad Thai and Chinese doughnuts.

"Students can definitely expect to have some fun, cultural, and traditional foods,” she said.

Le also said that most of the food will be homemade, and that she and her mother will be making 200 egg rolls for the event, while other students will be making dessert.

Caterers will include restaurants such as Chiang Mai Thai Restaurant and Fuzzy's Taco Shop.

"It is very important to have an event like this for the Newman community and the students," Ami Alvidrez, special populations advisor, said. "It not only showcases the cultures and talents we have here, we are able to celebrate the diversity of our student body and represent the numerous groups we have on campus. Representation matters."

PHOTO: Courtesy Photo. University Relations.