MOST OUTSTANDING CULTURAL PROGRAM NOMINEE
Mississippi State University Vietnamese Student Association
Tết Fair
Provide a detailed description of the event and the population it served. Details MUST include: date of event, number of participants, program purpose (goals, objectives, etc.), use of resources (finances, community support, etc.), and marketing techniques.
Tet Fair was a Lunar New Year celebration hosted by MSUVSA that was held to allow members of our community to celebrate a holiday important to our culture when they could not go home to celebrate with their family. We wanted to host a warm and happy atmosphere for our own VSA family and introduce diversity to other people in Starkville. We had fried rice, prawn chips, egg rolls, and che thai. People were able to play bau cua, lo to, and tien len, and there was a fan dance performance. We also had tet coloring sheets and a lantern making booth for children. Karaoke and a photo booth were also open to the public, and we had a pie the eboard fundraiser for CPP. Tet fair was held on February 12th, and we had approximately 75 guests. Some even came from Oxford and Louisiana. Our amazing general members helped us roll 200 eggrolls, and some even signed up to serve food and direct traffic. Luckily, we had the eggroll sheets donated to us by a Viet store on the coast, and the venue was free through the university. To promote the event, two posts were made on Instagram, and they were shared on our story a few days leading up to the even. Reminders were sent in our emails and announcements GroupMe, and we hung up flyers around campus.
How did this cultural program serve the campus and/or community?
Tet fair served our community by educating our peers about important traditions during the Lunar New Year, and it brought diverse people together for the night. Many international students and other Asians in the community were able to celebrate with us and find home away from home.
Did the organization overcome any challenges that arose while planning and implementing the cultural program/event? How?
Yes, our original venue at the local church was booked, and they have a kitchen. We changed the location to the MAFES Bull Barn, but without a kitchen, we could not serve pho. We had a vote to change the menu rather than bring a crawfish pot and propane stove. Our menu was much more simple than usual, but it worked out in the end because it reduced stress on eboard's end.
