A Look at the IPS Cultural Fashion Show

written by Nathan Bussell

On November 18, University of the Pacific’s International Programs and Services (IPS) hosted a cultural fashion show to celebrate International Education Week. According to the U.S. International Affairs Office, “International Education Week (IEW) takes place every November and celebrates international education and exchange worldwide. A joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education, International Education Week is celebrated by educational institutions across the U.S. and in more than 100 other countries.”

The Cultural Fashion Show had a total of 17 models, each dressing up in an outfit that represented a country/culture. The fashion show was emceed by two students, Grishma and Lakshmi, who created a fun and educational environment and provided great commentary and jokes during the show.

Education Abroad Advisor, Ofelia Hernandez, who helped coordinate the event, made the following statement regarding the fashion show:

“As part of our International Education Week initiative, we wanted to do something fun and meaningful. I thought that it was important to know more about our campus (student, faculty, and staff) and what better way to do it than a cultural fashion show. I think this was a great way to not only learn about different cultures but also celebrate our diverse community at Pacific.

For our first Cultural Fashion Show, I thought it was successful and hope to make this into a new tradition at Pacific so look forward to next year's cultural fashion show!

I’d like to thank all the models, behind the scenes crew, registration, and our makeup artists, and a big thank you to our lovely audience.”

This incredible event was thanks to all of the volunteers and the IPS team. Look forward to the Spring Semester of 2022, because IPS will be hosting future cultural events like cooking classes and a movie night! If you are interested in learning more about different cultures and visiting different countries during your time at University of the Pacific, consider studying abroad; the deadline for study abroad for the Fall semester of 2023 is February 22, 2022. For more information, reach out to Ofelia Hernandez at edabroad@pacific.edu.