Campus Life Events
UF Campus Life Events allow students to experience other cultures without having to travel far. Students have the opportunity to immerse themselves in a variety of cultures through their engagement with the diverse internationally-focused organizations at UF.
Diwali Showcase
Diwali is the Hindu festival of lights and celebrates the victory of light over darkness and good over evil. The UF Indian Student Association (ISA) puts on an annual Diwali Showcase where Indian dance teams, singing groups, and other organizations perform to celebrate the holiday. I went to the show in 2022 to watch my friend perform with her dance team, Gator Garba. This event was the first time I've seen Indian dancing live, and it was exciting to learn more about the culture. The showcase also included a fashion show, so I was able to learn more about traditional Indian attire. This was a great first event to start off my ISP global campus life experiences!
Holi
Holi is the Hindu festival of color and involves throwing powdered colors to celebrate love and the triumph of good over evil. ISA holds an annual Holi celebration in Flavet Field. I attended the event in 2023 and 2024 and got to experience throwing the powdered colors. I also watched UF Indian dance teams perform, including Gator Garba, Gator Adaa, and Gator Bhangra. Three of my friends that I went with are Hindu, so I was able to learn more about their culture and the meaning of this celebration. Two of my friends performed on the Gator Garba team, and it was fun to see the final result of the dance routine after seeing them practice.
Taste of Culture
The UF international Center held a Taste of Culture event for International Education Week in 2023. Trying new foods is one of my favorite activities, so I was excited to attend this event. I ate food from the Middle East, North and Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, China and East Asia, and Latin America. I was already familiar with some of the food, but I had never tried puff-puff or chana masala before. I enjoyed all the food I tried and also the experience to learn more about different cultures. Flags from around the world were lined up in front of the Reitz Union lawn where the event took place, which was a nice symbol of unity to see while eating the food.
