The University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL) celebrates its tradition of cultural and international diversity with the annual Global Expo. This year, the event featured booths representing countries from around the world. Also included was a booth offering information on Study Abroad programs, one that offered to renew passports for international students and a booth representing UHCL’s Student Diversity, Equity and Inclusion’s office. Each booth offered different foods as well as looks at different cultures from around the world.
A booth representing Pakistan, run by Business Management major Hiba Loya and Mechanical Engineering major Umar Malik, offers pictures relating to Pakistan. These include maps, photos of ancient buildings, desserts like gulab jamun and a cricket team, as well as a list of languages spoken throughout this landlocked nation. Pakistan Zindabad means “Long live Pakistan.” Photo by The Signal reporter Drew Curlee.A booth representing India, run by the Indian Student Association, offers their own variety of snacks and sriracha sauce, and even henna drawings. On the poster in the back are symbols of religion (including Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam), photos of iconic structures and statues which make India identifiable as a nation set apart from others. Photo by The Signal reporter Drew Curlee.At the F-1 I-20 Travel Signature booth, foreign students can have their passports renewed before traveling to their home country for the holiday. This booth is run by Tanya Sell, international student advisor (left) and Stephanie Holleran, senior international advisor (right), both representing the International Admissions and Programs office. Photo by The Signal reporter Drew Curlee.A booth representing Mexico, run by members of LISTA (Latinx & Indigenous Students Taking Action), including Selenne Salas, the organization’s secretary (left); Arturo Perez, its vice-president (center); and Ximena Flandes of the Student Government Association’s VP Committee Coordinator (right). Their booth has a map of Mexico, flyers advertising LISTA, hot cocoa and an array of sweets, tortilla chips and pico de gallo. Photo by The Signal reporter Drew Curlee.Several students sample the snacks from the Mexico booth and talk about Mexican culture and LISTA’s goals as a club. Photo by The Signal reporter Drew Curlee.Several students sample the cookies and candies at the Honduras table, as well as some coffee. During their snacking, these students take time to converse with the LISTA members. Photo by The Signal reporter Drew Curlee.A booth representing Puerto Rico, run by Social Work majors Allison Stults (pictured) and Emily Martinez (not pictured), displays highlights about Puerto Rico, as well as snacks like plantain chips, two sizes of dominos and even musical instruments such as the guiro, maracas and tambourine. Photo by The Signal reporter Drew Curlee.Emily Martinez, Social Work major, demonstrates how to play a hollow, wooden instrument called a guiro by using a scraper to rub along the grooves and create sound at the Puerto Rico booth. Photo by The Signal reporter Drew Curlee.This is a Global Expo passport (not to be confused with an actual passport), with which students could collect stamps from the booths they would visit. Photo by The Signal reporter Drew Curlee.