BY DAYAMI VILORIA
On December 13, the Asian American Club celebrated aspects of Asian culture at their annual Rice Festival. The club created a fun environment full of different foods, activities, and performances for everyone to enjoy.
The club arranged a variety of Asian cuisine. “We had cultural foods, such as Biryani, Kimchi Rice, Paneer Stuffed shells, Samosas, Noodles, and Gulab Jamun,” said Soham Agrawal, President of AAC. “We also had a lot of help from the general members, whether it be bringing in food for the event or helping set up decorations.
Many students enjoyed trying different Asian foods. “My favorite part was trying all the different kinds of rice,” said Riya Shah.
When planning the festival, the AAC board split into several committees to help organize the event. “Sravya and I were responsible for arranging food and overseeing the event,” said Agrawal.
Students could take part in various activities, including a new game called Guess the Weight of Rice that attendees enjoyed. “We tried to choose activities that were related to Asian cultures and were the most popular ideas between the board,” said Sravya Sankisa. Students could also get henna art done and learn how to make origami at an origami station.
The highlight of the event included dance performances from the K-Pop dance group and the Indian dance team. “My favorite activity was participating in the performances, and watching the others perform because we all put lots of work into the performances,” said Aashi Raval. “It was refreshing to see all the hard work paid off. Plus all my friends were there to cheer me on.”
The Indian dance team performed the first dance routine. “We practiced for a little over a week, and we made sure to practice at home,” said Shah. The group danced an upbeat Bollywood-inspired routine, with songs “Jhoome Jo Pathaan,” “Arabic Kuthu,” “Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya,” and “Rialto.”
After the Indian dance team, the OBHS K-Pop group performed. “It was really great! It was the first time performing for the school year, so we were all very excited but definitely also nervous,” said senior Echo Prado-Roberts. The group danced through the nerves and excelled.
K-Pop danced to a compilation of songs including “Fact Check,” “1-800 hot-n-fun,” “CRAZY,” “Touch,” and more. “It felt great because this is the first performance with my new group and of this school year,” said Lockze Wang, Secretary of AAC and member of K-Pop.
The Asian American Club hosted successful Rice Festival for the third year in a row. Whether students tried new dishes or got henna done, they all joined together with their friends to celebrate Asian culture.
Posted on 1/15/25
Photos by Caitlin Laflower
Knight Life 