The Union Activities Board sponsored the Taste of N.C. State to showcase different cultures from around the world using food, music and dance Tuesday

The event, founded in 2005, is designed to show appreciation for Asian, Indonesian, Hispanic and African cultures represented in the student body.

The event was at the West Campus Amphitheater from 4-6 p.m and more than 100 students attended.

Joann Ma, a board member of UAB, discussed the importance of celebrating different cultures on campus.

“We wanted to host the Taste of N.C. State because we want to promote student diversity on campus,” Ma said. “That’s why we have different student organizations that come out and display their culture and display materials that represent their clubs, so we can promote student engagement.”

Specifically the Indonesian Student Association, Asian Student Association and African Student Union were there to inform students about their respective cultures. 

“We also have food to bring people out and to let them really taste a certain culture,” Ma said.

The Hmong Student Association was another club that was represented at the event.

Yeng Xiong, a senior in biological sciences and the secretary of the HSA, said it’s important to become more aware of cultural diversity throughout campus.

“I think Taste of N.C. State is just giving everyone a general idea of what is going on [around] campus culturally,” Xiong said. “The University tends to do a lot of events throughout the year but not a lot of them signify a really diverse group of people hosting an event together. I really appreciate that UAB is supporting everyone coming out here and giving everyone a taste of what N.C. State diversity is all about.”

The event featured several live entertainment acts, such as a DJ, and several performances by dancers and singers. 

The Production, an N.C. State dance crew, performed too. The crew discussed how they enjoyed spreading Production’s name across campus by participating in events such as Taste of NC State.

“We love doing campus events, because we can actually connect with the students,” said Ricky Phuong, a senior in design studies and the leader of Production.

Different restaurants from the Raleigh area, such as Chipotle, provided food as did some of the student clubs.