LinkAge, the school’s multicultural club, hosted the Cultural Fair on January 27 in the Student Center. The annual event allows students to share their culture with the community. The event capped off a week of celebration that included Cultural Dress Day and Cultural Food Week in the FFC. 

LinkAge aims to connect people of various backgrounds and cultures. Co-head Serena Salfiti ’25 said, “The Hotchkiss bubble often makes people forget about others’ backgrounds. It’s important to remind everyone what a diverse and incredible community we have here.” 

At the Fair, students learned about other cultures by enjoying food, drinks, games, and performances. The Greek Club hosted bead-making; the Japanese Club shared Pocky; De Colores provided a piñata; and the Hotchkiss Dance Club performed samba. 

Alex Gish ’26 said, “One of my favorite parts of the Cultural Fair was the conversations people had during it. The Fair gives us all an opportunity to come together and talk about the differences and similarities between our cultures.”

Mr. Dave Thompson P’27, director of international programs and faculty advisor to LinkAge, said, “LinkAge aims to get people to think beyond the superficial aspects of culture, past ideas like clothes or language. The Fair, on some levels, focuses on the surface elements of culture. But the hope is that people will be curious, enter into conversations with other students, and learn more that way.”

The Fair was staffed by students, who ran tables and prepared food and activities. 

Mrs. Marcie Wistar P’26, director of student activities and clubs, said, “The school is an intentionally diverse community, and the Cultural Fair is one of the ways that we can celebrate that diversity. Mr. Thompson and the DEI Office do a great job of supporting students who wish to share the cultural part of their identity. Having the LinkAge club organize this event is a way students can do some of the sharing for themselves. The fair is entirely student-driven and the energy really shows.”