IYLEP refers to Iraqi Young Leaders Exchange Program, a high school and undergraduate student program sponsored and funded by the US Embassy, Baghdad and US Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Students are selected by the US Embassy through a competitive application process.
During the program, students ages 16-17 develop leadership skills, learn about US history and culture, and build a network of emerging leaders. FIUTS fulfills a 2-week portion of the 3-week program through a contract with World Learning.

The goals of the Iraqi Young Leaders Exchange Program are: 
1. To develop a cohort of young adults who have a strong sense of civic responsibility, a commitment to community development, an awareness of current and global issues, and strong interpersonal leadership skills.
2. To foster relationships among youth from different ethnic, religious, and national groups; and 
3. To promote mutual understanding, respect, and collaboration between the US and counterparts across Iraq.

Community Members: Please Help Us Host these Students!

We invite members of the Puget Sound community to host one or more IYLEP participants: The first opportunity is day hosting only, between July 17-July 30; the second is a 10-day homestay from July 26-August 6. Homestay is an important opportunity for participants to learn about American culture and connect with local people. On the final evening, all hosts are invited to join us for dinner to celebrate the program and enjoy the interesting cultural presentations that students prepare at FIUTS. Please contact Claire@fiuts.org for information about hosting a IYLEP participant.  

To Carol, many thanks for allowing us to peak into your own experiences!

My core belief is that homestay hosting enriches the lives of who you host, and at the same time it enriches your life.
Each homestay is like a different book—a unique experience. The process of integrating a stranger into your life and building a bond within a week or two is very special. I would like my kids to grow up in the culture of giving and thinking beyond our own little world. Hosting students from different parts of the world definitely expands our horizons and reminds us of our similarities and makes this world just a tiny bit more kind. 

A special connection I built with one of our students was based on our passion for books. We both believe in the power of books to connect, to educate, to inspire, and to encourage, and therefore, growing up in different decades and on different continents, being from different generations, we were able to connect on this very basic level as human beings who admire the same authors, who are willing to enrich each other's lives by sharing inspiring thoughts and quotations, by recommending even more books to get inspired from. 
There are many different levels that you can build a meaningful connection on; this time we chose the power to connect through books. I am sure that next time I can find a different aspect to connect through—the power of gratitude, the art of savoring life, or maybe loving kindness. I am excited to see what's coming up next, which treasures I am about to discover when hosting a new student.  

Olena Vlasova
FIUTS Education Manager

Or would you consider gift of any size that supports FIUTS outreach for new Puget Sound hosts?

As a facilitator for FIUTS I lead events for international students. It's my job to foster connections and get along with everyone. But this one summer there came a particular group of students from Japan that for whatever reason I got along with especially well. They were here for only three weeks, and I was scheduled to see them just six times in total. It ended up being a lot more than six times.
Anywhere they wanted to go we went together. We walked around Green Lake, went to a cat cafe, hiked through the Arboretum, and even got drinks at a cocktail bar in Ballard. When it finally came time for them to depart, we promised to meet each other again. And we kept that promise when I was invited to a wedding in Japan and they repaid me the favor and took me all around to see all that we could in my short time there. 
To this day I keep in touch with them and I intend to visit them again and many times more. I count them among my dearest friends--we wouldn't have met if it wasn't for FIUTS.

Chris Pond | University of Washington, Political Science, 2023; Bellevue College, Computer Science 2023-

I have had the privilege of working at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for 11 years now.  And I have been volunteering on the Board of Trustees of FIUTS for 16 of the past 18 years. My life is at its best when these two passions of mine intersect, and that happened in a big way this spring.

Of FIUTS’s many activities that connect people across cultures, my favorite is “homestay hosting,” which is when residents here in our Seattle area get the chance to briefly (typically anywhere from just two days to two weeks) host a student or teacher from another country who is newly arrived in Seattle, and, importantly, to do so on a voluntary, uncompensated basis.  My family and I have been hosting FIUTS students for many years now, typically welcoming a student when they first arrive for study at the University of Washington, just until they can move into their own housing for the term.  In this way, we have received students from many countries into our home, forming lasting bonds with thoughtful people from all over the world.  Most of these students have in due course returned to their home countries, while a few have stayed on in Seattle for work or further study.

In the fall of 2018, our homestay guest was a graduate student from India named Turam, then age 29, when he arrived to start a master’s degree program in the UW’s Information School (the I School).  When I greeted Turam at SeaTac International Airport at the end of his long flights from home, I was the first person he ever really met outside of India.  That was a big responsibility for me – and so much fun.

Recently, for the first time in my years at the Gates Foundation, one of the program officers whose important Global Health work I get to support invited me to join a visit to a grantee’s work site – in Hyderabad, India!  I had never been anywhere near India, and I jumped at this chance for several days of meetings there, and I also tacked on a day of work in the Gates Foundation's office in Delhi so that I could get to know people there a bit better, too.

With this opportunity in sight, I called up Turam, who is now working toward a PhD from the UW’s I School, to ask if he might be open to a visit home to India on either end of my work trip.  As it happened, his spring break from the UW aligned with the end of my work in Hyderabad and Delhi, and an amazing opportunity was born.

It turns out Turam is a master planner and executer, and he constructed and led us on a two-week adventure through the north (in the state of Himachal Pradesh and in Delhi), south (Karnataka), east (West Bengal, Odisha, and Jharkand), and west (Maharashtra) of this most populous country in the world, following my work time in the more central Hyderabad (Telangana).  We traveled by air, by intercity rail, by local train, by metro, by ferry boat, by private car, by Uber, by taxi, by auto-rickshaw, by motorcycle, and more.  Our lungs filled with the filthy air of Kolkota and other major cities, and our eyes, ears, and noses with the colors, languages, honking horns, and incenses of everyday life in tiny villages and megacities, in mosques, temples, meditation centers, and UNESCO World Heritage sites (such as the Sun Temple in Konark and the former Victoria Terminus in Mumbai).  Our visit to Dharamshala was a few days too early for the cricket test series there against England, and our visit to Mysore did not coincide with the Dasara festival there in September/October, but hey, nobody said we could have everything.

“Tiny villages” -- am I exaggerating?  I am not.  Turam’s family is not from one of the dominant population groups in India, neither Hindu nor Muslim, but rather they are indigenous/Adivasi, members of the Ho tribe of Jharkand and Odisha in eastern India, in which his parents are highly respected leaders and educators.  I can imagine wonderful possibilities for Gates Foundation employee resource groups (e.g., the Indigenous Communities and Cultural Confluence ERGs) to collaborate with Turam’s tribe and the nonprofit organization they run there (www.asrasocial.in).  In fact, never before had I felt like a celebrity or dignitary, but I definitely did on the day we visited the school for Adivasi girls that Turam’s family founded, which received us as though we were visiting heads of state (see the accompanying photos).  I know our foreign-ness and light skin are sadly inextricable from this context, yet even so we were moved to tears.

In fact, we experienced India’s extraordinary hospitality from so many people, including Gates Foundation colleagues and FIUTS alumni.  I hope they all read this and understand how grateful we are.

So why am I sharing all this here?  Three reasons:

1.     FIUTS needs more homestay hosts.  Hosting a FIUTS student is such a light lift, so short-term, and does not require any special space or accommodations, just small openings of your front door and your heart.  I can’t promise it will eventually lead you to a tiny village in India or anywhere else as fascinating, but now we know it could.

2.     FIUTS needs new donors and more support.  At the height of the Covid pandemic, after 75 years of symbiosis between the University of Washington and FIUTS, the UW abruptly discontinued this longstanding relationship, and FIUTS is adapting to the loss of that revenue stream that was long a pillar supporting how FIUTS helps connect Seattle with the world.

3.     I have some longstanding ideas for how FIUTS could help the Gates Foundation to better support our employees and their loved ones who are living and working across borders.  If you are in a relevant position of influence at the foundation, I would like to talk with you about this.

Please reach out to me if any of this interests you.  Thank you.

Greg Siegler

FIUTS is a dynamic office: the ideas, energy, and support of a rich team of work-study students, interns, and young leaders from global exchange programs bolster the small full-time staff.
So we were excited to welcome Bachir Laouali Ousmane and Wanda Heydel to the FIUTS team this winter as Fellows through the Community Engagement Exchange Program. The Community Engagement Exchange is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and supported in its implementation by IREX (International Research & Exchanges Board).
Wanda came to us after completing her master’s in Israel Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Warsaw, Poland. She brought great project management skills developed in her work at Client Earth, the international nonprofit for environmental law, and experiences leading community dialogues in the Middle East.
Bachir, a graduate of the African Development University Tillabéri, Niger, brought experience in peacebuilding, sports, youth engagement, and social entrepreneurship to FIUTS. His distinctive kindness, respect, and openness to new experiences helped him quickly integrate into our community, where he found opportunities to share his love of soccer and African and world music.
Over their 3-month fellowship, Wanda and Bachir designed and executed their own projects and collaborated on several visiting programs. They supported community events and facilitated discussions and training sessions. They participated in FIUTS CulturalFest and led activities on the FIUTS calendar.

All of us at FIUTS are so grateful to both Wanda and Bachir for bringing their expertise to FIUTS, and for their commitment to the FIUTS mission. We wish them the best of luck as they return home to apply what they’ve learned here to benefit their own communities.

It was February 24, 2024, in Benaroya Hall where I met Steve. It was my first day representing my country in front of such a mass of people in the United States. It was while talking with the visitors that Steve approached me because he wanted to know more about my country Niger and explained to me that he is a fan of music, especially that of Mali and also that of my country Niger.
We exchanged business cards and then one day he contacted me so we could meet up for coffee. When we met, we talked about our work, our experiences and our interests. During this conversation we all noticed that we have one thing in common, which is playing Soccer and he let me know that they have a team and that they play every Thursday evening and Sunday morning.
Each time, he drove me from the house to the field and from the field back to the house and I played Soccer with them on my first day.
From that day we became friends and their team let me know that I really fit their game, until one of them surprised me and gave me new shoes, and since that day I became friends with the whole team, all the teammates want to play with me.
I understood that there are still good people in this world. Steve really put himself in my place to feel what a person like me coming from a country 7,031 miles away is experiencing because Steve was in my situation when he lived in Europe. He understood what it's like to live in a country to which we don't belong. It really pushes me to open my heart more and to keep a value which is empathy wherever I go.

Bachir Laouali Ousmane 
Community Engagement Exchange Fellow 

To you, our supporters, we have raised 20% of our spring fundraising goal of $25,000.

An outstanding $8,000 matching challenge that 2 FIUTS and UW Alumni most generally are offering means every dollar you give DOUBLES!

Will you show your support of FIUTS work to foster empathy across cultures and give your gift now?

FIUTS is thrilled to announce this year’s Betty and Hiro Ogawa Award Winner, Kiwa Tashiro. A native of Miyagi Japan and a first-year graduate student in the Executive Master of International Studies at University of Washington’s Jackson School, Kiwa is an ideal recipient of the 2024 award! 
    
When Kiwa was little her mother explained the meaning of her name: her parents paired the characters 希和 (ki-wa), ki meaning hope or desire and wa bearing the dual meaning of peace and the essence of Japan. As she grew older, she strived to embody those ideals in her work. Once a college student, she discovered the work of her university’s first president, Inazo Nitobe, and aimed to uphold his ambition: “to become a bridge across the Pacific.” Kiwa has grown into the values behind her name, as she seeks to foster peace and understanding by becoming a bridge in her own right between Japan and the world.
Kiwa has pursued this goal through study opportunities in China, Greece, the Philippines, and Russia, which allowed her and the other participants to engage in important cultural and political dialogue. As the FIUTS Community can appreciate, every cultural immersion widened her perspective on others as well as her own place in the world. Her engagement with people across cultures was most active through FIUTS, when Kiwa was an exchange student at the University of Washington for the 2016-2017 academic year. Above all, she found a “family” at FIUTS and later became a Student Facilitator to ensure her participation in a multitude of events and share in exploring the Pacific Northwest with students from around the world. 
Not unlike other former FIUTS students, Kiwa has returned to FIUTS where a diverse family for her remains!

Ajuwah Goode, a BSc. (Hons) graduate in Nursing from the University of The Gambia has dedicated herself to advancing gender equality through her impactful work. With extensive clinical placements in various hospitals across The Gambia, she focuses on addressing the unique healthcare needs of women. Ajuwah actively engages in community health programs, emphasizing sexual and reproductive health education to empower women and ensure their well-being.

In November 2023, soon after completing the FIUTS PAYLP All-Stars Program in Seattle, she launched a project across five communities in rural Gambia aimed at directly benefiting 750 women by addressing sexual and reproductive health challenges. She implemented a comprehensive health education program focused on addressing complications associated with douching and emphasizing positive treatment behaviors to prevent vaginal infections. Recognizing the importance of involving both genders, she fostered a more equitable approach to addressing SDG 4 - good health and wellbeing. Additionally, practical demonstrations were conducted to empower women beneficiaries in making reusable menstrual pads using locally available resources to ensure sustainability. Ajuwah continually focuses on the importance of eradicating gender norms and stereotypes that contribute to inequalities in accessing healthcare and decision-making processes.

As the Country Program Coordinator of GAPhealth Technologies, a telehealth company, she strives to bridge the healthcare gap, promoting accessibility, efficiency, and innovation, thus furthering gender equality in healthcare access and outcomes in The Gambia.

It is important for people with privilege to put humanity first and to stand up for justice for women in areas of conflict as such Palestine, Congo, Sudan and Myanmar as we are well aware of how disproportionately they are affected. 
— Aimi Ahmad Shukri, FIUTS Student Board 2003-2007

I believe in order to archive gender equality, affirmative action must include both genders. I also believe that gender equality can be achieved by women and men working together to lift each other up since gender equality is a responsibility to everyone.
— Angela Elizabeth Ledon Maduro, FIUTS SUSI Participant 2022 

Wholehearted inclusion of every human being sounds utopic to me, but it is the future each of us is trying to build for ourselves and our people, everyday. In that collective individualism, maybe we'll get there soon. I'm reminded of the Indian anthem-like poem by nobel laureate, Rabindranath Tagore (Incidentally, he did write the national anthems of India and Bangladesh):
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action
   Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.
This poem is part of a beautiful series of poems called Gitanjali, that are also hopeful and abstract prayers. 
The lines "Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls," and, "Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection," seem closest to what I'm thinking here about this topic. 
— Ardhra Sivasankaran, FIUTS Student Facilitator 2022-2024

 Indonesia's long-standing struggle on eliminating sexual violence has been steadily addressed through national-level policy and regulation. Consecutively in 2021 and 2022, grassroot movements consisting of community organizers and activists, labourers, students, professors, and civil society organizations successfully advocated for the issuance of Minister of Education Regulation on Prevention and Handling of Sexual Violence in Higher Education and Law on Sexual Violence Crimes. We appreciate the implementation of the aforementioned regulations, however cultural change is mandatory if we are to achieve gender equality and elimination of sexual violence—and this change needs to be achieved by both government and society.
— Muh. Wildan Teddy Bintang P. Has, FIUTS SUSI YES Program Participant 2019

The older I become, the more I've realized just how valuable the support I've received from other women has been. When I moved to the US for my graduate program as an international student from Mexico, I felt a bit alone and out of place. Thankfully, I was able to slowly form better support systems. I owe most of these connections to different women: professors, classmates, and new friends. They have all inspired me to become a more welcoming person, regardless of people's backgrounds (like FIUTS!). Their encouragement and guidance have not only helped me navigate the challenges of adapting to a new culture, but have also empowered me to advocate for inclusivity and to support other people in their journeys. 
— Norma GA, Student Board 2022-2023

 It is truly amazing to think about how all of us are connected by women. In my eyes, women have the most resilient and inclusive character. Let's cheer for all the women! 
— Pei Zheng, FIUTS Student Board 2022-2023

“From the earliest years of FIUTS in the 1930’s and 40’s, women have challenged both cultural and gender norms to build belonging, inspire dialogue, and promote peace. International Women's Day serves as a reminder of the progress we have made and the work that still lies ahead in achieving gender equality. Today, I celebrate the FIUTS alumni around the world who continue to work towards a future where every woman has the opportunity to reach her full potential.”
— Era Schrepfer, FIUTS Executive Director

You are always welcome at FIUTS events: join us for our monthly Potluck on March 13, 2024. Register here.

Two weeks ago, participants in the Study of the U.S. Institute (SUSI) program for Student Leaders on Civic Engagement returned to their home communities in Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. During their five-week program in the U.S., FIUTS SUSI participants explored U.S. culture and history, civic engagement, and leadership through academic coursework, site visits, interactive workshops, and meetings with community leaders.

As they returned home, each participant proposed a community project designed to engage others and drive positive change in their home countries. These remarkable projects represent innovative ideas across sectors - from environmental responsibility to education, entrepreneurship, and more. We’re so proud of this group of young leaders, and excited to share the posters they created to promote their work.

The Study of the U.S. Institute is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and implemented in partnership with Meridian International Center.

FIUTS presented CulturalFest 2024 to an audience of more than 1000 at Benaroya Hall this past Saturday night.

So much pride, full of energy, and total fun were the shared responses from students and community members who joined us at the event.

Bringing CulturalFest to life happens through an intense amount of planning, practice and collective commitment. Three hundred students took part in CulturalFest this year - spending the last few months planning and preparing. They practiced acts and prepared expo booths in the FIUTS office, on their campuses, in residence halls, and in their homes across the Seattle area to share their own cultures and experiences at the event.

At the International Expo, students from 20 countries that spanned the globe from Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria to Niger, Mexico, and the Philippines. At the Turkey booth, guests tasted Turkish delight, while the Persian cultural booth spotlighted Iran’s lesser-known geography of islands and snowcapped mountains and explored the origins and use of the pistachio and saffron. Students and their families who put together the Costa Rica booth focused on woodcraft, the crown piece being a beautifully-painted model of the quintessential oxcart, la carreta.

The CulturalFest Performance Showcase featured 11 performance groups, sharing music and dance performances representing a variety of traditional and modern artistry. It was truly a great night and a celebration of the power of art to bring people together across cultures!

Join us next for Wednesday Lunch on March 6th and/or Monthly Potluck on March 13th!

FIUTS recently learned of the passing of a beloved member of our community, Sheila Belcher. A longtime host and supporter of FIUTS, Sheila and her husband Don especially enjoyed connecting with Humphrey Fellows and Fulbright scholars from countries across Africa, who were always so impressed by their incredible adventures around the world.

Sheila and Don received the FIUTS Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010, in honor of their many years of impact on our community. Read Sheila Belcher's obituary here.

“This event (CulturalFest) offers us a precious chance to come together with diverse communities, fostering a beautiful tapestry of unity amidst our unique cultural differences.” 

Sayaw: Filipino Folk-Dance Troupe 

Over the years, FIUTS CulturalFest has helped foster numerous cultural connections in the Greater Seattle Community through students and organizations, and promoting mutual understanding among people with different backgrounds. In the midst of these enduring relationships, CulturalFest is proud of its bonds with performing groups like Sayaw, which allows us to bring great performances to the stage year after year. 

We are thrilled to once again host Sayaw for their 8th dance performance at CulturalFest, showcasing traditional Filipino life through folk dance. Get to know them and the context of their performance here ... 

Mabuhay! We are Sayaw: Filipino Folk Dance Troupe, a student-based cultural arts dance group affiliated with the Filipino American Student Association at the University of Washington. The word “Sayaw” is translated to “dance” in the tagalog language; and through Sayaw, our knowledgeable and dedicated instructors Patrick Pineda ’05 and Liezel Moraleja Hackett ‘97 cultivate Filipino identities at the University of Washington with the beautiful and rich heritage shared through Filipino Folkdance. Maraming Salamat, and we hope you enjoy our joy. 

CulturalFest holds a special place in Sayaw's heart as it provides an ideal platform to proudly present Filipino Folk Dance. This event offers us a precious chance to come together with diverse communities, fostering a beautiful tapestry of unity amidst our unique cultural differences. 

The Philippines is a very diverse country itself; each province boasts its own distinctive identity reflected in its cuisine, traditional attire, dialects, dances, and more. Yet, within this diversity, what binds us together as Filipinos is our shared inclination to celebrate our joy; this is evident in the vibrant performances of our Barrio Fiesta dances. Barrio Fiesta stands as a renowned showcase of Filipino folk dances, originally depicting rural community life and now extending its charm to larger gatherings such as CulturalFest. 

CulturalFest provides a platform for observing and cherishing diverse cultures, while also receiving mutual appreciation from people of various backgrounds. This fosters unity by nurturing an appreciation for our distinct differences, ultimately cultivating love and admiration for each other's backgrounds and unique heritages. 

Every year we learn more about the diversity of the Philippines through Sayaw's performances. We are ready for the new perspectives they’re going to bring to CulturalFest 2024! 

“CulturalFest is able to foster strong cultural understanding within our community as it allows groups like us to make our culture accessible and integrative in the mainstream media.”  

UW Awaaz 

Over the years, groups found FIUTS CulturalFest as a special occasion to unite people with similar backgrounds while getting their stories out to a greater audience.  

UW Awaaz is using their heavenly voices again to articulate a beautiful story of the blend of South Asian cultures with the Western rhythm . . .

UW Awaaz is a South Asian fusion A cappella group at the University of Washington which takes songs from South Asian and Western culture and creates harmonious arrangements of all varieties. As a fusion a cappella team, we strive to share the diversity in musical genre across the South Asian diaspora, and also illustrate universalism in certain core features that are similar among all musical styles. 

We have performed many years at FIUTS CulturalFest. Throughout the years, we have enjoyed seeing all the other cultures represented through diverse forms of art. Being able to experience a variety of perspectives through art and correlating that with our own experience is what makes FIUTS such a unique experience for us as a team. Ultimately, it inspires the set and arrangements for our own competition season. 

We will showcase a variety of South Asian classical and contemporary music with a unique twist of mashing up western music, like jazz phrases, within our arrangements. The intertwining of South Asian and Western music mimics the syncretism between South Asian and Western cultures during the South Asian diaspora. Our members grew up listening to both forms of music and all have a passion for singing, which is demonstrated in our set.

CulturalFest is able to foster strong cultural understanding within our community as it allows groups like us to make our culture accessible and integrative in the mainstream media. It also supports the syncretism of our cultural roots with Western culture, while having us learn about new cultures from other performances as well. The FIUTS showcase allows us to glimpse into the roots of other cultural groups in our community, guiding us to find similarities and differences between our cultures through art. 

It’s never too late to hop on this healing melody journey with us at CulturalFest 2024! 

“CulturalFest exposes community members to a wide range of cultures, allowing them to experience the richness and diversity of various traditions firsthand.” 

ESCAPE 

FIUTS CulturalFest becomes a spotlight to acknowledge the beauty of different cultures as people grow accustomed to the diversity around them. It’s also a place for fusion groups, like ESCAPE, to highlight the uniqueness and the harmony across cultures.

Learn about ESCAPE's journey to the CulturalFest stage below:  

We are ESCAPE dance group with members from Indonesia, USA, Thailand, Korea, and China came together to share the love of dance. 

One of the dancers, Regina Setiawan, was a part of the FIUTS committee last year and helped with the building of CulturalFest. From then, she was inspired to create a meaningful piece and stand on stage. This year, she is the student board co-president and would love to show the audience that she and her friends have such a deep connection with dance. 

ESCAPE will be presenting the dance culture itself through different dance styles including Hip-hop, Contemporary, Waacking, Locking and an Indonesian dance called the Tari Saman. All the dance styles are important as they play a crucial role in the evolution of the dance scene today. It is nice to let people know that the dance culture consists of so many styles, music, and creators to acknowledge from, because of them, the dance scene is as huge as it is today.  

Throughout the performance, there is a message that ESCAPE conveys to the audience. You will see how a girl finds one's own happiness. In reality, everyone has to live a life of fear, sadness and challenges, and so to find one's own peace, joy and happiness we ESCAPE from reality. 

We think that CulturalFest shows so much cultural meaning and love to the community. CulturalFest exposes community members to a wide range of cultures, allowing them to experience the richness and diversity of various traditions firsthand. Watching performances from diverse cultures can evoke empathy and understanding, as the audience connects with the emotions and stories conveyed through the music and dance easily. 

ESCAPE the hustle life to enjoy a “delicious” dance plate with us at CulturalFest 2024! 

“CulturalFest goes beyond mere entertainment; it's a catalyst for dialogue, learning, and building connections that transcend cultural boundaries.” 

Traditional Chinese Dance at UW (TCDUW) 

Every year, FIUTS CulturalFest is filled with loud music, fascinating dance moves, and most importantly, laughter and more laughter. You never get tired of seeing new cultural dimensions each performing group brings. 

The newly formed Traditional Chinese Dance group at University of Washington found its place at CulturalFest and is back with 2 new dances to showcase the diversity of Chinese culture! Get insight to their preparation below: 

Our group is the Traditional Chinese Dance at UW (TCDUW)! We were founded in 2021 with a mission to build a community of passionate dancers by providing an inclusive, supporting, and energizing environment for students to learn diverse ethnic Chinese dance styles. TCDUW aims to spread Chinese culture in the UW and Seattle communities through various performances, events, and workshops. 

Last year's CulturalFest was an unforgettable experience that left a lasting impression on our entire team. The warmth and hospitality extended by the staff, coupled with the camaraderie forged among fellow performers and participants, made it a truly remarkable event. The chance to showcase our culture on the prestigious stage of Benaroya Hall was also a dream come true.  

Altogether this inspired us to participate in CulturalFest again this year. We are honored and eager to contribute to the vibrant tapestry of cultures, build new connections, and continue spreading the love and beauty of our heritage through dance this year! 

This year we are bringing two group dances! One is a rendition of a widely known Chinese Fan dance called Paper Fan Scholar and the other is a Tibetan dance called Heavenly Shower. By bringing two different styles of dances, we hope to reveal how diverse Chinese dance and culture is! 

The profound impact of events like CulturalFest on fostering cultural understanding within the community cannot be overstated. CulturalFest serves as a dynamic platform where individuals from different backgrounds come together to celebrate diversity. The exchange of traditions, customs, and artistic expressions not only educates but also inspires a collective appreciation for the richness of our collective heritage. It goes beyond mere entertainment; it's a catalyst for dialogue, learning, and building connections that transcend cultural boundaries. 

It’s hard to not imagine how amazing they will look on stage. Can’t wait for their performance at CulturalFest this Saturday! 

Diana Cambronero Venegas, Booth Captain of Costa Rica 

There are interesting and amazing stories that circulate at FIUTS CulturalFest every year. Visitors to the Expo learn more about a country in an entertaining and educational way. 

As cultural advocates for many years, Diana Cambronero Venegas and her Caña Dulce troupe are bringing their passion and efforts to us this year, introducing a historical story of Costa Rica through music and dance:

We are Caña Dulce (“sugar cane”). We are a group of passionate volunteers, whose mission is to promote and preserve Costa Rica’s intangible cultural heritage to cultivate traditions in the community through outfits, music, and folklore dances. We performed traditional folklore dancing to tell the history of our country and its 7 providences; and Calypso to honor the rich Afro-Costa Rican history, specifically from the Limón region. 

Our passion to continue upholding and showcasing our culture was our main drive to participate in CulturalFest. We have been dancing as a group since 2016 and CulturalFest was the next step to highlight and share our group, but more importantly our culture, to a broader audience. 

As Booth Captains, we’ve had to step outside our comfort zone on numerous occasions. We understand logistics and moving parts behind the scenes, as well as the weight it holds, and sincerely appreciate the patience and opportunity to represent Costa Rica. One of the challenges we faced was deciding which items to show case, performance and outfits due to space constraints, and performers apt for this occasion. 

One important point we are showcasing is the Ox cart, which is a national symbol. The Cart or Cart of Oxes was declared a national symbol of the workforce in 1988. During the 19th century it was used as a transport tool for coffee plantations and commerce. The Cart and history of coffee plantation will also be depicted through the folklore dances we will be performing at the International Expo. 

CulturalFest motivated us to “dance” outside our comfort zone to ensure Costa Rica, our beautiful country from Central America, is represented. We are looking forward to expanding our community with the other students and groups present. 

How will Diana and her troupe portray the history of Costa Rican coffee plantations through folk dancing? Come and find out at CulturalFest 2024!