ISC hosts second annual International Bazaar

The International Student Council (ISC), Western Student Association and Graduate Student Association hosted the second annual International Bazaar on March 29. 

The event allowed students and attendees to experience different cultures.

“I think it’s really important, because everyone that doesn't know about international stuff, they can come here and everything,” said Director of Marketing and Outreach for ISC Benecia Angelica. “So basically, everything is here, you don't need to look further. You don't need to fly a plane, just come here.”

For some attendees, International Bazaar was an opportunity to learn more about their heritage. 

“I’m actually half Hispanic, and I never really got the chance to explore my heritage growing up,” said WMU student Jackson De Leon. “I wanted to see if there was anything revolving around that, that I could look at.” 

Cultural events on campus allow for different recognition of heritages, according to De Leon. 

“Especially when I grew up, I don't think there was a lot of recognition for a certain heritage,” De Leon said. “I know my father would always try to gear me towards white passing instead of being half Hispanic. He never taught me Spanish growing up. So I just feel like international heritage deserves a lot more recognition.” 

For students like Meagan Rozema, International Bazaar is a great opportunity for students to gain more knowledge on different cultures. 

“I think it’s great to involve more students to get to know these things,” Rozema said. “I have a friend who’s from Nigeria and just hearing him talk about his culture has been really cool. So the fact that Western promotes all students to gain more knowledge on different heritages and cultures is great.”

ISC is the voice of international students and helps to bridge gaps, according to Angelica. 

“We also have a mission to bridge the gaps to international students and also local students,” Angelica said. “So having this event can really help even local students to know also about international students and get along to what they can.”

The event also hosted performances, various cultural foods and crafts that attendees could purchase. 

“I’m from Indonesia and I’m so excited about Indonesian food,” Angelica said. “I’m really excited to have one of, like the food there. And also I’m excited for the performance, it’s gonna be really good.” 

For more information on ISC, visit ExperienceWMU.