NC’s student body, composed of a wide variety of cultures, creates a distinctive and diverse school environment. Additionally, NC’s magnet program, North Cobb School of International Studies, allows teens of various backgrounds to co-exist within a welcoming space. Now, NC’s newest club, Culture Connect, aims to bring additional light to the diversity of the school.
Culture Connect intends to bring unity and connection between students of various diverse backgrounds at NC. Magnet sophomores Melanie Acuria, Shivani Bhugra, Kennedy Marshall and Stephany Rodriguez-Peliz came up with the idea for the club from a Diwali celebration. During the Diwali event, hosted by Bhugra, participants of the party observed the cultural diversity amongst themselves. Bhugra and Marshall, inspired by the sharing of culture at the party, arrived at the idea of creating an inclusive space for students to learn and share their distinctive cultures. Consequently, the Culture Connect club came to life.
“Kennedy and I decided to start this club Melanie Acuriaone day at my house. My family was having a celebration for Diwali, and I had invited my friends, who were all part of a different culture. But, [despite this], we came together, and they celebrated with me. This made us realize we need a club where everyone is welcome and isn’t afraid to celebrate different cultures,” Bhugra said.
The founders of the club wanted to bring additional attention to the diversity of not only the community of NC, but also throughout the world. Culture Connect’s first meeting commenced February 4 in room 3058 in the Deal Building. As club participants’ and officers’ positive energy filled the room, each individual shared a fervent eagerness toward attending the meeting. To start the meeting, the officers took the time to engage with their audience by introducing themselves and speaking briefly about their own individual cultures. Afterward, club officers invited members of the club to take turns introducing themselves. Club members, eager to share this part of themselves with others, showed immense pride in their heritage.
Each meeting, Culture Connect plans to focus on discussing a different culture based on suggestions they receive from others. The club will invite participants to learn about the chosen culture by trying the food, listening to the music and even watching movies that relate to the selected group of people. Officers of the club will also strongly consider the opinions of their club members when deciding what activities will occur during the meetings and which cultures meetings will focus on.
“With this club, I see the potential to reach a collective of diverse students and create an environment where people can explore diversity and learn in fun ways. I am most excited about doing my own research for this club because it is not often that I go out of my way to research different cultural experiences. So, not only will this club give me the opportunity [to do research], but also to share these experiences. Our four officers plan to lead this club with the reliance on community engagement and fundraising every other meeting,” Marshall said.
For future meetings, officers hope to invite members to learn about the traditions, practices, music and languages of different cultures. Club officers plan to meet this goal through a plethora of activities that will help participants to improve their understanding of a wide range of different cultures and groups of people. The club also plans to allow members to create bracelets inspired by different countries’ flags.
