On Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, Eastern Michigan University's International Student Association is holding Cultural Expo! for the second time. This event celebrates and educates students about different cultures around the world.
Sultan Al Sousi, president of ISA and organizer for Cultural Expo!, explained the inspiration behind the event to The Eastern Echo.
"Cultural Expo! was a concept that I brought forward last year," Al Sousi said. "I attended Schoolcraft Community College [before EMU] where they held an event called the Multicultural Fair. That's kind of where Cultural Expo's concept really came from for me. I wanted to bring that to life at Eastern. I wanted to add my own tweaks to it."
Al Sousi said he saw how diverse EMU was when he began attending the university. He believed that the variety of cultures on campus should be presented and celebrated, which further encouraged him to pursue his Cultural Expo! idea.
"It's really cool to see what kind of cultures are presented on campus, how many ethnic roots there are on campus, and you can see that there's so much diversity and it's actually quite beautiful," he said.
During Cultural Expo! there will be performances, cultural tables and workshops all happening at the same time.
Two students stand at one of the cultural tables at Cultural Expo! 2025. Photo courtesy of Vy Le, Chotika Pitaktouyhan, and Maria Clara Faustini Santos.
Al Sousi explained that each cultural table will have a person who displays something from their culture on the table. They can display artifacts, clothing, jewelry or anything that represents their culture in some way. Those who attend can look at the cultural tables and ask questions, learn about pieces of other cultures and expose themselves to something new.
A group of students learn origami at the International Student Association Cultural Expo! event. Photo courtesy of Vy Le, Chotika Pitaktouyhan, and Maria Clara Faustini Santos.
"Then we have the workshop, which is kind of similar, except you actually get to try hands on stuff," Al Sousi said. "So, for example, we've had the Japanese Student Association do origami and teach people how to do origami last year. We had the Korean Student Association show people how to play some of their childhood games."
A student holding an instrument performs at the International Student Association Cultural Expo! in 2025. Photo courtesy of Vy Le, Chotika Pitaktouyhan, and Maria Clara Faustini Santos.
There will also be performances at Cultural Expo! this year. Anyone can sign up to perform a cultural dance or some type of performative activity that represents their culture.
Students will be able to witness, experience and learn about a variety of cultures directly rather than through pictures or online sources. This event will allow students to collaborate with one another and have educational, informative experiences in-person.
"It's nice when you get it from the source and it's nice to see what the source has to offer you at the same time," Al Sousi added. "You can see the beauty in our differences, how different we are, but we're all artistic and we all have our own aspects that makes us who we are."
In comparison to last year's Cultural Expo! event, there will be more cultures in this year's event.
"Come ready to be surprised because you never know ... the cultural differences are true, but it doesn't make us any less than each other. It really just shows how different we are. But at the same time, how beautifully we can still coexist with it," Al Sousi said.
