Experience the holidays around the world at Baylor

By Maegan Rocio

Staff Writer

Cultural differences won’t get in the way of celebrating the holidays.

The Baylor University Multicultural Leadership Cabinet will host “Holidays Around the World,” a free event open to all students from 7 to 9 p.m. today in the Bobo Spiritual Life Center.

Houston sophomore Margaret Odunze, the vice president of programming for the Multicultural Leadership Cabinet and the co-chair of the event, said it was created this year with the holidays in mind.

“We wanted to do something for Christmas, but not like Christmas on Fifth,” she said.

“Before students go home for holidays, we want people to have the opportunity to come together. We want people to branch out and talk to each other,” she said.

Odunze said the event is meant to encourage cultural interactions among students.

“We wanted something that really stuck out”, she said. “We put this event together to create a warm and loving environment where you can drink hot cocoa and basically have fun interacting with people who don’t look like you. We want people to understand that they are welcome to interact with other people outside of people of their own ethnic background.”

Odunze also said there will be activities, such as games, that students can participate in.

Odunze said the event is meant to encourage all students to share their perspective about their cultural holiday traditions.

“We want students to get together and get to know each other because there is a lot of cultural diversity on campus,” she said.

Odunze said members of the Multicultural Affairs Organization will be present to ensure none of the attendees feel left out.

“Basically, we’re going to be making sure that everyone is doing something,” she said.” “We want you to get involved.”

Odunze said she is looking forward to a large turnout.

“I’m hoping that people come out to show support for each other, not the organization,” she said. “Even other organizations can come out and become involved, it just means a lot that people come out to get to know other people. We want students to walk away feeling that they’ve gained a friend or two.”