Sophomore Ivanka Kumar, who performed a Ukrainian pop song at the assembly, believes that the timing of the assembly is more important than ever, especially with current international events.

“Currently we see, with the Ukrainian war, many people perceive Ukrainians as refugees, as outcasts, and I wanted to show that Ukraine actually has a [unique and vibrant] culture,” Kumar said.

Not only are students exposed to new perspectives, but some can see their ethnic culture represented and celebrated. For Junior Karen Artola, the poem written and performed by Danny Khan reminded her of her culture.

“It resonated with me a lot because I’m Mexican,” she said.

Following the assembly, a global food celebration was held on the quad, allowing students to mingle and try the numerous tastes of the world; dumplings from China, samosas from Pakistan and faworki from Poland, among other dishes, were quickly consumed.

Amber Chaudhry, a volunteer at the Pakistan table, was pleasantly surprised by her experience running the Pakistan table at the food celebration, particularly regarding the students’ enthusiasm.

“I didn’t realize how many people loved Pakistani food,” Chaudhry said. “I had around 250 samosas and they flew within 20 minutes. I was like: ‘Wow, there’s a lot of love for Pakistani food.’”

For students and volunteers, the cultural celebration provided an opportunity to share parts of their culture unfamiliar to people and debunk cultural stereotypes.

“It’s important to share your culture so people can understand and see that the country is about more than what they see on the news,” Chaudhry said. “Pakistan is known for handicrafts, truck art, woodwork, jewelry and embroidery, and I feel like no one really knows those things.”

The main reason why Chaudhry wanted to be part of the event was because she wanted Pakistan’s culture to be represented at the event. 

“It’s important to represent every country so kids can learn about all the countries in the world,” Chaudhry said.

Sebastian Roj, a parent volunteer representing Poland and Canada for the event, highlights the power of food to bring people together despite many students’ disparate backgrounds.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re Asian or non-Asian, Caucasian or anything else,” Roj said.” We are all human beings, we are all together and enjoying the food wherever it’s coming from.”

Despite the Assembly’s positive reception and Paly’s long history of multicultural events, the recent cultural celebration assembly was mandatory, a decision that stirred mixed feelings for students.

“While the sentiment of the assembly was good, the fact that it was mandatory for everyone to attend spoiled the event,” an anonymous senior said. “I think it made people focus just on the entertainment value of each culture (…) I think what made the food stalls work is that students individually went up and chose to engage with the culture.”

Overall, the event met enthusiasm from students and teachers alike. Paly teacher Lucy Filppu emphasized that Paly has always been an international school and that the celebration honors the diversity that makes us who we are.

“[The event] just sends a message that wherever your family calls home, whatever your path to getting to Paly, to getting to the United States, whatever your story is, we welcome you,” Filppu said. “That’s the school I want to work at.”

Looking forward, Filppu views the need to host more similar events to celebrate our diverse cultures and the unity that thrives alongside our differences. 

“We need days like today to remind us of our identity,” Filppu said. “Our identity is not defined by politics, not defined by factions, it’s defined by exactly what this assembly was today.”