The entire world fit inside a ballroom at Valparaiso University during the annual World Banquet sponsored by the Valparaiso International Student Association and VU’s Office of International Programs.
Foods and performances from a variety of nations were celebrated on Saturday at the Harre Union, along with a parade of nations as participants marched across the stage carrying a paper flag of a country they identified with.
Eugene Lin, an instructor teaching students training to become physician assistants, said the event is an opportunity to “bring the whole world to our little corner of the world.”
Ramisha Mushfiq, a VU junior from Bangladesh, is studying to become a nurse.
“The U.S. is to use like a dream country,” she said.
Her father was adamant that she attend college in the States. “If you’re studying, you’re studying in America,” she said.
Adjusting to life here was difficult for her, especially when she didn’t have a car available.
Quiet little Valparaiso is a big change from her home in Bangladesh. “I come from a place where it’s honking 24/7,” she explained. “After 7, it’s so nice and peaceful” at VU.
Anand Agrawal, an Indian who grew up in Kathmandu, Nepal, studied engineering at VU because it was one of the top 10 undergrad engineering schools in the country. After graduating in May 2023, he became a robotic engineer for Eli Lilly & Co.
At VU, Agrawal helped organize the World Banquet. “It meant more than any other event,” he said. “This was a slice of home for us.”
“I really like the representation from a lot of different cultures,” said Chance Ericson, of Lockport, whose mother immigrated from China. “The tofu, that’s something my mom would make,” he said.
Ericson is a big fan of the K-pop group Soul of Sol who performed at the banquet.
In addition to South Korea, performances brought the audience a taste of Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Nepal, Ghana, Brazil, India and Spain.
Yanish Chudaly, a freshman, is from Nepal. “It’s nice over here. The teachers are great,” she said. Chudaly and her friends posed at the time capsule booth for photographic evidence of the gala event.
Lucia Otten, of Valparaiso, is studying Spanish and international relations. She explained the time capsule being assembled Saturday night would be opened at next year’s event.
“We get a better understanding of what people valued in the past” when time capsules are opened, she said.
Otten, along with Lydia Klabunde, of Logansport, and Fayol Zeudom, of Cameroon, were emcees for the event.
Otten is a sophomore studying business management. Zeudom is studying physics and computer engineering.
After meeting with faculty at other schools, Zeudom was sold on VU after meeting with the dean of Christ College, VU’s honors school. “Valparaiso was the only school where I felt like I was cared about,” he said.
Otten was attracted to the study abroad program giving students the opportunity to immerse themselves in the language and culture of a foreign country for a semester.
Zeudom said he appreciates the cultural diversity celebrated at VU. “People might not realize how diverse the community is in Valparaiso,” Otten said.
The World Banquet is “a really great way to bring together so many people of so many backgrounds,” Klabunde said. “It’s really beautiful.”
With all the political instability in the world now, Zeudom was glad to see the World Banquet bringing together people from a variety of cultures. An event like that brings understanding and decreases the odds of enmity toward others, he said.
Doug Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
