Rosemount, MN – The smells of foods native to more than 15 different countries and a variety of musical sounds filled the air as Dakota County Technical College celebrated its diversity by hosting Multicultural Day on Wednesday, April 11.
The event is held annually in the central commons of the college and is sponsored by the DCTC Diversity Council and DaCulTure Club. Individuals representing a wide variety of cultures and countries are invited to share food, entertainment, and activities with the DCTC community.
Westley Dayus, a DCTC student and soccer enthusiast from Worcestershire, England, served as master of ceremonies. He greatly enjoyed “breaking bread” with people from so many different countries, including representatives from Japan, Korea, Egypt, Sweden, Ethiopia and Norway, to name a few.
“The event was so well organized,” said Dayus, “and I had a really good experience. It’s an especially fun way to bridge cultural divides.”
Peou Pin-Mene, the multicultural student recruiter at DCTC, was a principal organizer of the event.
“Many of our students, faculty and staff had an opportunity to experience the rich, cultural diversity we have on our campus,” said Pin-Mene. “It gave them a chance to interact with people from different ethnic backgrounds, sample varieties of food, and view artifacts from other parts of the world.”
Tatiana Lozada, a DCTC student from Venezuela, welcomed everyone to the celebration, which included Henna tattoo artists from Pakistan and East India, an Arabic calligrapher, and a TRIO/ Upward Bound student who demonstrated the art of African American braiding, offering one free braid per person.
The gospel choir from the High School for Recording Arts in St. Paul performed a live poetry slam, using hip-hop to call attention to a list of diversity buzzwords. Somalian singers, accompanied by a type of lute called a kamond, and dancers from the Lakeville City Ballet also gave live performances.
Christine Pigsley, associate dean of business and entrepreneurship at DCTC, noted that the event, which grows in size each year, was a tremendous group effort.
“It is a day when everyone has the opportunity to celebrate his or her individual culture and heritage,” said Pigsley. “We are a global society rich in a variety of cultures from Europe to Asia, Africa to the Americas. The multicultural celebration on campus really mirrors the diversity we are seeing across Dakota County and the south metro.”
