A night of culture, tradition, and fashion took place Thursday Nov. 21 in the Hughes-Trigg Ballroom. The event, Around The World hosted by the International Student Scholar Services (I.S.S.S.), featured an array of performers and models, all representing and sharing their unique cultures with the audience and each other. 

The cultural tour around the world kicked off in Texas with a performance by the Mustang Mavericks. SMU’s one and only stunt dance team showcased two country western dance routines giving the audience a taste of Texas tradition. Three Folklorico dance routines followed, transporting the audience to Mexico with bright colored dresses and a traditional Mexican song and dance. 

Following the performances and a quick break, Angie Garcia, the International Programs Specialist and a Cox School of Business master’s student, addressed the audience and welcomed the first model to the stage for the fashion show. Garcia, who not only organized the event but also modeled in the fashion show, said the event is an important night during International Education Week, which concluded on Nov. 22.. 

“I spearheaded the international fashion show, and tonight’s all about cross-cultural community building,” Garcia said.

The Around The World event has taken place at SMU for over 10 years in celebration of International Education Week, a celebration of the achievements and benefits of international education and exchange. 

Ana Reyna, a SMU alum and the programming coordinator for the I.S.S.S., explained that her team prepared for the event by starting an open call for models, both international and domestic, and contacting performers with cultural roots to their countries to meet their goals of prioritizing culture with a bigger turnout than the previous year. 

“This year we wanted to make it so that what stands out are the performances and culture from them, so we decided to have a fashion show,” Reyna said “Last year we tried and we only had three people walk but now obviously it caught on and students really wanted to come.”

The fashion show featured over 10 models wearing traditional clothing from their countries around the world. One performer, Faith Bombito, a senior majoring in human rights, political science and French, represented the Democratic Republic of Congo. Bombito strutted down the runway with excitement, wearing a black tube top and a skirt designed with a traditional African print with a similarly printed piece of fabric tied around her arm. 

“I work in the international students office, so I work really closely with the staff and I did this event last year as well and it was such a good experience so I wanted to be a part of it again,” Bombito said. “It has expanded since last year as well so I’m just really excited to see how it goes.”

Abdulmohsen Alkhathlan, a L.L.M. student, and his daughter took on the runway together as he wore traditional Saudi Arabian formal attire. Walking the catwalk for the first time, he waved and clapped for his daughter as she danced down the runway, both of them more than proud to be representing their heritage. 

“I wanna share my culture, how our tradition works, and what we wear, ” said Alkhathlan. “I wanna show the world what Arabic, or specifically Saudi people, what they wear in the formal dress.”

The event was just as exciting for the models as it was for audience members like Precious Nibigigwe, a senior public relations & strategic communication and psychology student who enjoyed learning about the different cultures represented that night. 

“A lot of the cultures I saw, I didn’t know how they represented their wardrobe or what they wore specifically so it was really nice to see that aspect,” Nibigigwe said. 

Around The World made its last stop of the night in China for a traditional lion dancing performance that consisted of three vibrantly colored “lions” that danced and lurked around the ballroom giving out objects like oranges and stuffed animals to audience members. The performance not only captivated viewers but educated them about a traditional Chinese dance often performed during holidays like Lunar New Year to bring good luck.