By 6:15 p.m. Tuesday night, the line stretched from the Russell House Ballroom all the way to Fresh Burger. Music was blaring and the smell of warm tortilla chips filled the air.
USC’s 16th annual World Night had officially begun.
Faculty, staff, students and community members filled the ballroom to see performances from all over the world.
Sandstorm was played to get the crowd excited and energized. Even Cocky was there to pump up the crowd for the performances to come.
World Night celebrates cultures from across the globe. Different student organizations and individuals perform, showing off unique aspects of their cultures. There are also many different dishes available for students to try.
“Every year, we receive a new audience that completely fills the Russell House Ballroom,” said Muzna Al Raiisi, president of the International Student Association and fourth-year international business and finance student.
By 6:45 p.m. the ballroom was already full.
Third-year marketing student Lily Neville came early so she could get a good seat.
“I’m an international student and I got all the emails,” she said. “I thought it would be interesting to see.”
World Night is put together each year by the International Student Association (ISA). The goal of the event is to strengthen the bonds between the American and International communities at USC.
Swype was the first organization to perform, followed by Students Associated for Latin America, the Iranian Student Association, the Bangladesh Student Association, Moksha, the Omani Student Association, Pan-African Student Association and Gamecock Bhangra. Individual performers included Napat Tandikul, a graduate student in the chemistry and biochemistry departments, and Tanya Wideman-Davis, assistant professor of contemporary dance and ballet. Between the performances, several students were recognized for receiving the International Student Merit Scholarship.
After all the performances had wrapped up, the Ms. World Contest began. The contest is relatively new to World Night considering this is only the second year it has been featured at the university. Vietnam, India, Thailand, China, Italy and the U.S. were all represented in the Ms. World Contest.
This is World Night’s 16th consecutive appearance at USC, and Raiisi hopes the event will continue for many years to come at the university and attendance will become even better.
“We hope to carry on this tradition," Raiisi said, "as ISA believes that recognizing the cultural differences on campus and appreciating them will help USC achieve its vision in becoming a globally recognized university, in all aspects.”