You're Invited: Marquette High to Host 2nd Annual Festival of Nations Event

Marquette High will be hosting its second annual Festival of Nations event in the commons area on the evening of March 5.

Students and community members plan to showcase booths representing nearly 30 countries, with information about food, culture, clothing and history. Performances are also planned, including salsa dancing, Spanish flamenco dancing and Indian dancing presented by students.

The Marquette Student Belonging and Equity Club is organizing the event, which runs from 5-8 p.m. and is free for anyone 18 and under. For individuals over 18, admission is $2 in advance and $5 at the door. Those interested in attending can register at this link.

"Everyone’s welcome," said junior and student organizer Lucas Tourinho, who will help run a booth about Brazil, his native country. “I like to share my culture. Last year, a lot of people liked the food."

Junior Emma Carcamo, whose family is from Honduras, is looking forward to sharing her culture

"I’m doing a booth with my family and sharing different foods and drinks," she said. "In Honduras, the main popular food is pan de coco, which is coconut bread. It’s really good. I will also bring tostones, which are fried plantains, as well as chicharrones, or fried pork, and a classic Latin American drink called horchata."

Marquette language arts teacher Jordan Shelton said the idea for this event was inspired by a former student who had emigrated from India.

"Diversity is becoming a big thing in our school and society," said junior Shreya Das, one of the event’s student organizers. “We want to be able to truly recognize and acknowledge everyone for their culture and make them feel welcome, especially at Marquette. This is an impact that we want future generations to feel as well."

For Carcamo, one of her goals for the evening is to educate attendees about lesser-known countries.

"I want to show that there’s more to Central and South America," said Carcamo. "There are cultural differences between each country in this area."

"The community is becoming so vast in such a small region that you want to be able to feel like you know about it and you want to be aware of it, and the only way to do that is by advocating and sharing yourself for other people so they can understand," Das added.

Local nonprofit organizations that offer immigrant outreach will also be on hand to help connect immigrant families in attendance.

"I hope people have fun and enjoy the event," said Tourinho. "It will be an interactive way to learn."

For additional information, check out the flyer below or visit the Marquette Festival of Nations page on Instagram (@mhsfestivalofnations).