On October 21st, 2022, ISA held its annual Global Gala event. The global party met its guests with fun photo ops, themed decorations, and tasty food, culminating in a grand performance show.

With the goal to unite, diversify, and welcome the international student community at Temple, Global Gala hosted over 20 tables in its first half. Lined up neatly one after another, each table represented a culture, a group of students at Temple, and even international departments and communities in Temple and Philadelphia as a whole. A short walk between those tables would open a world of possibilities before you. Students and guests were talking in different languages. Some hosts were sharing stories about their cultures, be it their heritage or home country. Others taught visitors about their traditions, gave out snacks, and even did henna tattoos.

“The Global Gala was a unique multicultural experience that made me felt so welcome as an international student. I got the chance to meet many other international students and celebrate diversity,” said Flavia, one of the students at the event.

With a variety of songs playing in the background, the sounds merged into a fun lively chatter. Every conversation was a part of the event, while also feeling private behind the bustling noise of the event space.

For the second half of the event, everyone moved over to the seating space in front of the stage. Two hosts full of energy and charisma came onto the stage: Vincent Shen and Raayyaana Arora.

The stage shook with Irish, African, Latin, and Carribean dances. The audience welcomed the variety, and some volunteers even went on stage to learn a couple of moves themselves. While the dances were an effort of student organizations, individual students contributed with songs. Each with their unique style and emotion, performers sang in Mandarin Chinese, Brazilian, Hindi, and Himachali.

Global Gala 2022 was the first to come back in person after a break forced by Covid. Yet it still managed to shine brightly as ever in its annual mission to welcome international students to Temple and the US.