On the morning of Jan. 7, students packed the Upstairs Theatre for the Middle Eastern, North African and Asian (MENAA) Student Summit, a day of speakers, breakout sessions, lunch and dancing in community. Months in the making, the event celebrated cultural diversity while providing hands-on learning and engaging activities throughout the school day.
“The Student Planning Committee has been meeting once a week since September,” said Vaishali Patel.
Students are highly encouraged to help plan and rework activities for the summit each year. The schedule includes two workshop sessions designed for collaboration and meaningful conversations, a cornerstone of the summit experience. Students can also participate in sports, get henna designs and play traditional games throughout the day.
“My number one goal is for students to have an enjoyable, fun day,” said Patel.
This year, the summit introduced “Beyond Borders” to highlight American stories through voices of migration. ETHS English teacher, Dr. Anita Bucio is teaching a new Asian Literature course this year and her students shared their migration stories.
“[“Beyond Borders”] is one of the biggest changes we made this year,” said Patel. “I’m excited to give this opportunity to Dr. Cho’s students and hopefully lift up ETHS students.”
Adding new activities is important to the committee as they hope to improve the summit experience each year.
“We shift our workshops year to year to give students new options and experiences,” said Patel.
According to Patel, the summit fashion show is a highlight for many students, celebrating traditional clothing from different cultures.
“Students love that we have a fashion show,” said Patel. “It’s the most popular event.”
The hands-on workshops, like Fun with Foods, were also engaging for students.
“Fun with Foods was my favorite activity because it taught me how to make traditional foods and try new things,” said sophomore Julia Darer. “It was a good way to step outside of my comfort zone.”
The Fun with Foods workshop encouraged students to explore different cultures and discover new foods.
“At first, these were foods I would not normally try, but after making and learning about them, I was excited to try them and ended up really liking all of it,” said Darer.
Many students are drawn to the summit to experience music and dance performances. The 30-minute show highlights traditional dances and songs performed by Northwestern students, external dance organizations and ETHS students and teachers.
“I was amazed by how impressive and insightful the dances were,” said Darer.
As the MENAA summit continues to evolve each year, the main goal is to keep students learning and celebrating and to expand their opportunities.
“I hope the MENAA summit energized students and made them feel valued and included,” said Principal Dr. Quiana McNeal. “I also hope they gained a deeper understanding of the experiences of others within their own community because recognizing the diversity within our diaspora is deeply enriching.”
With new workshops added annually, the MENAA summit remains an important celebration of diversity.
