World’s Got Talent event honors, shares cultures

On the evening of Nov. 17, a palpable excitement filled the air outside Hamre Recital Hall as the event that annually culminates International Education Week at Augustana drew ever closer.

Students chattered in a variety of languages over food served by volunteers from the Augustana International Club and the Union Board of Governors: Culture, the collaborative hosts of the event. Many people wore traditional clothing in celebration of their own cultures, regardless of whether they were performing, that lit up the halls with a rainbow of brightly colored fabrics.

The meal was catered from local restaurants: spring rolls from Lam’s Vietnamese Restaurant, momos from Everest Indian Cuisine, drinks from 9999boba, and macaroons from Sodexo, courtesy of the Ordal Dining Hall staff.

As the World’s Got Talent show began, students proudly stepped up to perform. Many danced, some sang and others showed off their cultural dress. Nearly 200 students showed enthusiastic support in the audience, hardly pausing their raucous cheers and applause for the event’s 90-minute runtime.

Only one performance earned near silence throughout, if only so the audience could hear her every word. 

Freshman Sophie Johnson, with heritage from the Bahamas and Nigeria, wore the Bahamian flag around her shoulders and performed a spoken-word poem that she wrote about growing up a “third culture kid” — those who are raised in a culture that is neither their own nor their parents’.

“I wanted to write something that spoke about what I’ve gone through,” Johnson said of her poem. “Hopefully, that has helped other people with what they’ve gone through as well.”

The crowd may have held itself to poetry-appropriate snaps as Johnson spoke, but it exploded with deafening support the second she finished. The high-energy atmosphere reflected the love and community that the event was designed to foster. 

Sophomore Olivia Brost, co-governor of UBG: Culture, said she was excited to see students coming together to showcase the things that make them unique. 

“It’s just so fun to watch them… to see them all come together and do their thing, do what they’re used to, what they’re proud of,” Brost said, in particular of a group dance act from over a dozen Ethiopian and Eritrean students, who share similar tribal culture. 

With each performance, the show delighted domestic and international students alike. Sophomore Amina Koch, AIC vice president, said events like World’s Got Talent are for everyone who is interested in culture and diversity.

“An event like this is meant to foster community on Augustana’s campus, not just within the international community,” Koch said. “World’s Got Talent and Augustana International Club [are] for all students who are internationally-minded.”