There’s no week that embodies the diversity of our school community more than multicultural week. From the food to the clothing, every aspect of the week represents how Saint Francis is composed of a variety of cultures, heritages, and traditions that intermix to shape our Lancer family. Now that the week has ended and Lancers have returned to their routines, let’s take a look back at the beauty of Multicultural Week.
The week started on January 16 with a Kahoot during lunch and streetball in the gym. In the evening, the First Four Cook-Off was hosted by the first four Saint Francis affinity groups: Black Student Union (BSU), Filipino-American Student Union (FASU), Latiné Student Union (LSU), and Tagata Pasifika.
Despite seeming like they have been around for a while, affinity groups were not introduced until BSU’s founding in 2019 as a part of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiative at Saint Francis. As a part of understanding how interconnected the first four Saint Francis affinity groups are, the highlight of the entire event was the food challenge. Elected members of BSU, FASU, LSU, and Tagata Pasifika were placed in different groups—or as senior member of FASU Mason Young put it, an “Avengers’ style” team-up—to face off in a cooking competition where each group made a dish that blended elements of all the cultures. For example, FASU members Devin Marquez (’26), Sophia Jison (’26), and Tatiana Antovich (’27) were all placed on different teams and made unique dishes with their respective groups. The results: a taco dish with fillings from each affinity group, a skewer dish filled with a variety of foods, and lastly, the winner… a jambalaya dish consisting of ingredients from all the cultures. When Young reflected back on the moment the dishes came out, he said, “They looked really good… I was like, wow! Like, my friends made that.”
After a long weekend, the Lancers returned back on Tuesday for events hosted by the Lusafono Student Association (LSA) and Intersectional Feminist Student Association (IFSA). During the day, the groups changed up the lunch menu by adding traditional Portuguese food for LSA. However, the best part of the day happened after school where students went to the Quad for street soccer. Each competitive match between students was filled with tricky footwork, sharp passes, and many goals. With the amount of skill showcased, any Lancer passing by would’ve thought that the World Cup was happening and their classmates were in the championship match tied at 3-3 with only a minute to go.
On Wednesday, Saint Francis hit one of the biggest events of Multicultural Week: the Interfaith Prayer Service. In alignment with the theme of the Congregation of Holy Cross being “Hope Beyond Borders,” the theme was “light”—a symbol that guides our Lancer community through our cultures and into ones we may not know. The service was, as sophomore Lauren Williams put it, focused on “what faith means… sounds like… [and] what it feels like.”
It started with Ryan Matsumoto (’26) standing in the middle of the center stage with a traditional Japanese drum called nagado, which is commonly used in Taiko performances. He and his community from the San Jose Taiko organization stunned the audience twice in the service, commanding everyone’s attention to the center stage. Afterwards, groups such as the Jewish Student Association, Muslim Student Association, Asian Student Association, Latiné Student Union, and many others performed traditional rituals associated with their specific religions, and each group showered the Lancer community with beautiful singing, traditional readings, and in some cases, dancing. One of the special dance performances was from Tagata Pasifika—who in past years has sung a traditional song—who performed a graceful Polynesian hula dressed in beautiful white outfits with orange leis adorning each girl’s head and neck. As Coach Ray Hisatake looked on at the performance like a proud dad with his phone in one hand and a smile on his face, he shared something that everyone in the audience was feeling: pride in their community. Each performance gave insight into traditions of the cultures at Saint Francis, bringing our Lancer community even closer together. The service ended with the participating students singing Coldplay’s “Yellow” as they brought tea lights onto stage, embracing the main theme and illuminating the stage in which all cultural traditions were showcased.
On Thursday, the Asian Student Association, Hindu Student Association, and South Asian Student Association had lunchtime activities, similar to a gigantic craft fair. Students could create paper lantern lotuses and bazaar bracelets in the Quad before going to the Sobrato Commons to enjoy biscuits and various types of traditional teas, such as barley, chai, chrysanthemum, and more. The choir made a guest appearance, gracing everyone’s ears with beautiful songs and elegant melodies.
To end the week, the Latiné Student Union and Tagata Pasifika had cultural games and music in the Quad during lunch. Additionally, students who were willing to come after school attended the start of a new Lancer tradition: the Night Market. Mimicking traditional street markets in China, the Quad was filled with a variety of foods to try. Some student favorites were Jollibee chicken from FASU and mochi waffles from the Asian Student Association, while the horchata and Vietnamese iced coffee had people swarming around the tables. Overall, the event was a major success with almost all of the 14 affinity groups serving food or drinks ending with most food being sold out. After the Night Market, students headed to the Graham Theater to watch the International Showcase. The Stage Cage showed out in neon to enjoy student performances from the various affinity and dance groups on campus.
Overall, this is another successful Multicultural Week for the affinity groups. Students were engaged and enjoying the events that the week had to offer: learning new traditions, trying new foods, and focusing on being immersed in a variety of cultures. Even though the week is over, Lancers will continue to embrace the same values that they did during Multicultural Week through the rest of the year.
