The Saudi Interest Club put together the Arabian night on Friday, April 27 at 6 p.m. in the Ballroom of Henry Student Center.

It ws to help students and the community to come to a broader understanding of Saudi culture as well as congratulating the Saudi Arabian seniors who will soon be graduating.

The room was fully decorated in yellow, red and gold tone. Arab music brought excitement for the guests when they first walked through the door. With over 100 attendees, the Saudi Interest Club wanted to fill up the gap between different cultures with plenty of educational materials about Saudi Arabia as well as traditional food. Everyone had a chance to taste the traditional coffee which was completely different than the coffee that they see every day in America.

Felixa Wingen, the assistant director of international student services, who is also the advisor of the Saudi Interest Club, thought this was a great opportunity for the international students to get together and celebrate after a year of hard work.

“We want to celebrate the culture of our students from the Middle East and North Africa that we have on campus,” Wingen said.

It took nearly two months for Wingen and the students to plan this event including decoration and food. All of the food was donated by students and the Saudi Cultural Mission. A lot of traditional food was provided including chicken, rice, eggplant, salad, lamp, date cookies and more.

Georgia Costalas, the executive director of diversity affairs, thinks this type of event is a good chance for integration, and to help Wilkes to learn more about Saudi culture.

Felixa Wingen, along with her Saudi Interest Club students, hopes to make Arabian night an annual event in order to raise awareness about Saudi Arabian culture.