BLACKSBURG, Va. – Students, families and visitors filled Virginia Tech’s Alumni Mall for a festival of culture and community Saturday, as one of the university’s biggest spring traditions transformed the street into a global block party.
The International Street Fair drew thousands to campus, with student-run booths representing dozens of countries, live performances and food from around the world.
Afghan culture takes center stage
Among the booths was one spotlighting Afghan culture, run by members of the Afghan Student Union. Co-President Machelle Rahimi said the event offers something deeper than just a cultural showcase.
“When you come to an event like this and you go around each booth, you start to see similarities — we’re not very different from each other, we’re all connected,” Rahimi said.
Co-President Zaki Wali said the booth is an opportunity to push back against narrow perceptions of Afghanistan.
“Afghanistan is always in the news, always being talked about in terms of war, in terms of struggle, but we want to show people there’s more to our culture than what’s shown to the eye,” Wali said.
For Rahimi, the club has become more than an extracurricular — it’s been a lifeline.
“It’s really hard growing up with your family and having a deep sense of culture and coming here and kind of having that stripped away from you,” Rahimi said. “So joining this club, I found my best friends, I found so much peace and it made me love my school even more.”
Service, solidarity, community
Other groups used the fair as a platform to raise awareness for causes beyond campus. Members of Students Helping Honduras, a club that organizes annual service trips, said the event captures exactly what their mission is about.
“It’s a great way to give back to everyone — this is a diverse club,” said Beverly Zapata, a member of the organization. “It’s a fun way and a great way to unite us.”
For member Zoe Pena-Palma, the cause is personal.
“My parents are from Honduras,” Pena-Palma said. “So this is a great way to work behind the scenes and help a good cause.”
K-pop, community, connection
The fair also featured a booth from Shidae at VT, a K-pop dance community open to anyone who wants to join.
“Because it’s a college town, there are a lot of different people from different backgrounds and stuff like that,” said Andy Yanto, president of Shidae at VT.
“Coming straight into college, I did not know anyone of my ethnicity, so it’s good to kind of see and branch out,” Yanto said.
A shared takeaway
Local food vendors added to the international flavor. Jason McLain, who works with Kefi Greek Food with Passion, said the fair has become a favorite stop.
“This is our fourth year — we love it here, this place is awesome,” McLain said. “It’s just everybody getting together. You see all the different customs, all the different people — it’s really awesome.”
Wali said events like these challenge the way people think about cultural differences.
“The way we see different cultures, we see it by dividing lines,” Wali said. “But it’s events like these that kind of let us change the narrative and let us see how does it connect us rather than separate us.”
Attendees left Alumni Mall Saturday with a shared takeaway: no matter where people come from, they may have more in common than they think.