Spring Break
Pageant celebrates cultural values
Glenna L. Sabo
Issue date: 10/13/08 Section: News
The eighth annual Flores De Cultura Pageant, hosted by the Latin American Student Organization, was held Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. in the Western Illinois University Union Grand Ballroom.
Cultural awareness was celebrated as six contestants represented various Latin American countries and Mexican states. Rather than focusing on beauty, this pageant rewarded academic achievement, campus involvement and community service.
The turnout was large and students came for many different reasons. Senior art education major Liz Thielemann said she came because of her interest in other cultures. "Being bicultural myself, half Korean, I came to learn about other cultures and to support students trying to raise cultural awareness," Thielemann said.
Jenna Hoogerwerf, a senior bilingual education major, had similar reasons for attending. "I have a passion for Latino culture," Hoogerwerf said. "I enjoy listening to what these young women have to say and for them to be able to relate on a personal level."
The pageant began with a procession of Latin American flags and the singing of the national anthem. Throughout the pageant were various dances performed by members of the Tradícíon Híspana Dance Troupe, including the Mexican polka.
A poem about the difficulties of being Mexican-American and being viewed as an outsider by both Mexicans and Americans, a song about treasuring your past and your relatives, a rap about a young man's grief over the loss of his aunt, and a skit about the reality of alcohol were also performed during the pageant.
Also, the young men in the Latin American Student Organization, apparently disgruntled by the women getting all of the attention, put on a comedic presentation of themselves and their talents in the second annual Nopales de Cultura.
The highlight of the pageant was the contestants. The contestants began with an introduction of themselves, emphasizing their major, clubs and organizations they were a part of, and their nationality. After the audience was introduced to each of them, they had a segment in which they each presented a PowerPoint presentation of the country or Mexican state they were representing.
Near the end of the pageant, the girls performed a unity dance, which symbolically brought together their differing cultures and places of origin. The young men from the Nopales de Cultura Pageant also put on their own unity dance, which was apparently designed for comedic effect.
At the end of the pageant, it was time for the 2007-2008 Queen, Melba Campos, and the 2007-2008 Princess, Yazmin Ramos, to highlight their involvement over the past year and pass their crowns along to the new Queen, Ana María Ca?as, and the new Princess, Alexandra Rodríguez.
"I enjoyed the experience. I didn't think I was going to win. I thought the other girls did really well. I was impressed by the turnout," said Ca?as, junior Spanish and secondary education major. "Overall, this event was an excellent night for promoting cultural diversity and honoring the accomplishments made by the contestants."
Cultural awareness was celebrated as six contestants represented various Latin American countries and Mexican states. Rather than focusing on beauty, this pageant rewarded academic achievement, campus involvement and community service.
The turnout was large and students came for many different reasons. Senior art education major Liz Thielemann said she came because of her interest in other cultures. "Being bicultural myself, half Korean, I came to learn about other cultures and to support students trying to raise cultural awareness," Thielemann said.
Jenna Hoogerwerf, a senior bilingual education major, had similar reasons for attending. "I have a passion for Latino culture," Hoogerwerf said. "I enjoy listening to what these young women have to say and for them to be able to relate on a personal level."
The pageant began with a procession of Latin American flags and the singing of the national anthem. Throughout the pageant were various dances performed by members of the Tradícíon Híspana Dance Troupe, including the Mexican polka.
A poem about the difficulties of being Mexican-American and being viewed as an outsider by both Mexicans and Americans, a song about treasuring your past and your relatives, a rap about a young man's grief over the loss of his aunt, and a skit about the reality of alcohol were also performed during the pageant.
Also, the young men in the Latin American Student Organization, apparently disgruntled by the women getting all of the attention, put on a comedic presentation of themselves and their talents in the second annual Nopales de Cultura.
The highlight of the pageant was the contestants. The contestants began with an introduction of themselves, emphasizing their major, clubs and organizations they were a part of, and their nationality. After the audience was introduced to each of them, they had a segment in which they each presented a PowerPoint presentation of the country or Mexican state they were representing.
Near the end of the pageant, the girls performed a unity dance, which symbolically brought together their differing cultures and places of origin. The young men from the Nopales de Cultura Pageant also put on their own unity dance, which was apparently designed for comedic effect.
At the end of the pageant, it was time for the 2007-2008 Queen, Melba Campos, and the 2007-2008 Princess, Yazmin Ramos, to highlight their involvement over the past year and pass their crowns along to the new Queen, Ana María Ca?as, and the new Princess, Alexandra Rodríguez.
"I enjoyed the experience. I didn't think I was going to win. I thought the other girls did really well. I was impressed by the turnout," said Ca?as, junior Spanish and secondary education major. "Overall, this event was an excellent night for promoting cultural diversity and honoring the accomplishments made by the contestants."
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