World flare
Twelve students competed Friday for the titles of Mr. and Ms. International in the Taggart Student Center Ballroom. Around 450 people attended the pageant that brought an end to the sixth-annual International Education Week. The night was filled with music, singing and dancing from nine different countries from around the world.
When talking about the contestants, Asiful Ghani, the vice president of the International Student Council majoring in computer engineering said, “In a way, they are representing their country. They are upholding the image of their tradition and culture.”
There were seven women and five men that competed in the pageant.
The 12 contestants wore traditional costumes and performed a talent that portrayed their country.
Each of them put together a video that told about themselves and where they are from. The video consisted of pictures of their families and their home countries.
The contestants said they were most excited for the opportunity to bring their country to Utah State University.
“I am excited to tell people about my country and to get to know about other countries as well,” said Natcha Lawson, a freshman in interior design and Ms. Thailand.
The people involved in the night’s events spent hours preparing and setting up for the pageant. The ISC, the contestants and numerous other people spent about one month making sure the night would run smoothly.
Each contestant spent about 10 minutes sharing their talent on stage.
Mariah Hawkins, a sophomore majoring in nursing, said, “It was cool because in the space of three hours, I was able to have a taste of nine unique cultures.”
Each of the contestants showed their love through their performance.
Last year’s first runner-up, James Ocean Konton, said, “Everyone cherishes their culture and everyone has something unique. We should be looking for the good things in cultures instead of the negative sides, and that is what the pageant does.” The pageant was a way to bring everyone together and to reflect on those good things.
According to their Web site, the ISC represents the whole international body at USU, which includes about 1,500 students from 93 different countries.
“It is great because you get to meet people from other cultures and learn things about other people,” said Katherine Pion, Ms. Dominican Republic.
As the judges were making their final decision, other international students had the opportunity to perform. Abinash Bhattachan, ISC’s president and a senoir in watershed science, ended the performances with one last song. He played with four other people, including Mr. Togo and Mr. India, both playing their countries native drums.
“This is what music is all about: bringing everyone together,” he said beforing starting.
After he was done playing, he introduced the members of the International Student Council that helped put on the International Education Week.
When it was finally time to announce the winners, cheers erupted as Bemate Bomboma, Mr. Togo and Katherine Pion, Ms. Dominican Republic, were crowned as the new 2005-06 Mr. and Ms. International.
Twenty-five percent of the money earned through the pageant will be donated to the earthquake relief fund in Pakistan.
ISC hosts the event everyyear.
-echilton@cc.usu.edu