Carnevale celebrates Northeastern’s cultural heritage

Carnevale, featuring events like an ice sculpting competition, started this week and runs for two months. File photo by Mary Knox Merrill.

The International Student and Scholar Institute at Northeastern University has kicked off Carnevale 2012, a two-month series of events designed to celebrate cultural diversity on campus.

“The goal is to encourage an intercultureal dialogue with international and domestic students alike,” said Amy Wooldridge, the assistant director for orientation and cultural programming at ISSI.

Senior health science major Kirti Kewalramani, an Indian citizen from New Jersey who helped plan some of the program’s events, agreed with Wooldrige. As she put it, “Carnevale is not only a way to learn about other cultures, but also a way to totally immerse yourself in them.”

Many of Carnevale’s events are designed to put a fun twist on campus activities. An international fashion show, for example, will feature global outfits worn not by models, but by attendees. At another event, students will have the chance to decorate rooms in the image of international students’ homeland’s, including China Australia and the Middle East, while munching on traditional food. 

Teams from seven local organizations and members of the ISSI committee will carve ice sculptures on Krentzman Quad on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The top two teams will win prizes for their cool art.

“It’s a way to really connect with other cultures and other traditions in an engaging way,” noted Venisse Wu, a junior economics major from Hong Kong. 

Visit the ISSI website for a full schedule of events.