By Ruhi Thapar | Arts and Life Intern
Bringing the beauty and distinctiveness of Lebanese culture to Waco is no easy feat. However, the Lebanese Student Association has achieved this end with grace.
Lebanon is a small country on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, north of Israel and south of Syria. It is a country with an immensely rich culture and heritage and has a proud populace known for their hospitality, sensibility and love for helping others.
LSA has created a home away from home for many students on campus and has provided Lebanese students with a safe space to express themselves and practice Lebanese traditions in community with fellow members.
“Being a member of LSA has allowed me to continue to stay in touch with my cultural heritage and bond with my fellow classmates over our shared cultural background,” Lebanon senior Alexa Sokhon said. “I love LSA because it brings me a sense of joy and belonging to Baylor by reminding me of home.”
Since its founding in January of 2022, LSA has already had an impact in contributing to the culture at Baylor University. The organization creates a community that makes the nearly 7,000 miles that separate Lebanon and Texas less formidable for students looking to find a piece of home at Baylor.
“Being a Lebanese international student coming to Baylor, LSA has been my second home where it allows me to interact and practice my culture with students from the same ethnic background as me,” Lebanon junior and LSA co-president Andrea Sokhon said. “I am extremely proud of my ethnicity, and I am looking forward to seeing LSA grow at Baylor while sharing our cultural traditions with the Baylor community.”
Whether that is through their meetings in Cashion every other Thursday at 7 p.m. or through enriching conversations across the dinner table at the various social events they provide for members, LSA cultivates a community that is reflective of the Lebanese culture.
The association is committed to cultivating an authentic Lebanese experience while promoting its heritage, adding to the diversity on campus while increasing public awareness about Lebanon.
LSA looks forward to fulfilling this mission in the future by sharing Lebanese traditions and customs with Baylor students through cultural events, examining history and art, revealing Lebanese contributions to society and sharing cuisine.
They hope that through sharing Lebanese culture with the Baylor community, they can impart a powerful message about unity and inclusion and contribute to erasing stigmas around people from the Middle East.
The Lebanese Student Association strengthens the Baylor community through their bold cultural expression and desire to share this with others. They illuminate the value of creating spaces where individuals can truly be themselves and engage in enriching fellowship.
They also focus on overcoming obstacles of distance and language to honor where they came from and recognize how our cultural heritage shapes our identity.
“To me, LSA is my home away from home, people I can say are honestly family,” Lebanon junior and LSA treasurer Vincent Sokhon said. “We laugh together, we dance together, we eat together, we play, we do everything together just like a family.”
