ASDA Diversity & Inclusion Committee Hosts GSDM’s First Multicultural Night

On April 16, 2015, members of the American Student Dental Association (ASDA)

Diversity & Inclusion Committee at Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) hosted the School’s first Multicultural Night in Hiebert Lounge. The purpose of the event was to celebrate and appreciate the various cultures and ethnicities within the GSDM community.

The emcees for the evening—Nikkita Muwanguzi DMD 17 and Wenyu Qu DMD 17—kicked off the evening by greeting the audience in 12 different languages before inviting the guests to enjoy a Mediterranean and Italian themed meal. After dinner, 110 attendees enjoyed musical and dance performances featuring cultures from around the globe as well as a diverse cultural fashion show.

There were three featured dance performances. The Aftab Dance Group (an Iranian dance troupe in the Boston area) was up first and performed a traditional Persian dance. They were followed by an Indian duo (Romil Pasrija AS 16 and Lopa Shah AS 16) who performed colorful dances which included intricate body movements. Next was a group known as The Afrobeat Dance Crew (Debbie Desravines DMD 17; Jobren Dingle DMD 17; Sally Jacob DMD 17; and Nikkita Muwanguzi DMD 17) who performed a fusion of African, Hip Hop, and Stepping.

The first musical performance (Alex Okoye AS 16; Khanti Tjiang DMD 17; and Jessie Nam DMD 17) was a medley inspired by both Chinese and English elements guided by the musical sounds of vocals, piano, guitar, and violin. The next two musical performances were Southeast Asian inspired—the first of which was an Indian a capella love song by Ammar Pabaney AS 16, and the other was a vocal and guitar medley consisting of English and Hindi by local musician Kushal Zinzuvadia.

The fashion show closed out the evening, with students modelling clothing from:

• Africa— specifically from Uganda and Nigeria (Jobren Dingle DMD 17, Mahzad Kouchaki DMD 17, Sally Jacob DMD 17, and Shyam Shah DMD 17);
• Southeast Asia was well represented with attire from India (Rajesh Agarwal AS 16, Vaibhav Bajaj AS 16, Shraddha Kewalramani AS 16, Akanksha Bali AS 16, Aditya Mehta AS 16, Haranchal Bains AS 16, Romil Pasrija AS 16, Keerthi Peri AS 16, Shammi Saini AS 16, and Geetika Saini AS 16); Nepal (Neemi Lama Sherpa AS 16, Manisha Shrestha AS 16, and Smriti Singh AS 16); and Pakistan (Wajiha Amer AS 16, Ammar Pabaney AS 16, and Rizwan Baig AS 16);
• The Middle East—(Mahzad Kouchaki DMD 17 and Jobren Dingle DMD 17);
• East Asia, specifically from China (Lucy Dang DMD 17, Guanghui Ling AS 16, and Armita Mashkouri DMD 17);
• North America (Jobren Dingle DMD 17, Sally Jacob DMD 17, Mahzad Koochaki DMD 17, and Armita Mashkouri DMD 17) showcased attire from the United States where GSDM apparel was featured.

ASDA Diversity & Inclusion Committee Chair Nikkita Muwanguzi DMD 17 said, “The Multicultural Night unified students, faculty, and staff across many cultures through food, music, and dance.” She continued, “The event was this Committee’s big event of the year and we hope to make it a tradition that will continue long after we graduate.”

“Nikkita and Wenyu did an excellent job organizing the School’s first Multicultural Night,” said Dean Jeffrey W. Hutter. “I am proud of the students, faculty, and staff who participated to celebrate the various cultures and ethnicities within the GSDM community.”

Photos are available on Facebook and Flickr.