On February 21, at 4:30 pm, students and faculty gathered at the Bowld for MOSAIC’s annual multicultural potluck.
The event aimed to foster genuine connections and highlight the richness of different cultures. The potluck, hosted by Union University’s MOSAIC club, gave students and faculty a chance to share food and traditions while having meaningful conversations. The open event encouraged everyone to participate by bringing a dish and immersing themselves in other cultures.
MOSAIC’s goal is to host events that help students and professors from different backgrounds connect.
“This event is really special because food is such an important part of people’s lives,” Emma Peak, MOSAIC president and sophomore applied linguistics and missions major, said. “It’s a way to represent different cultures and bring people together.”
Peak became president over Christmas break and is getting settled into her role but hopes to grow the club and get more people involved.
“A lot of students don’t even know about MOSAIC, so we’re trying to spread the word and have more events,” Peak said.
The club is already planning more events, like a trivia night, to bring people together and increase MOSAIC’s outreach.
The potluck featured a long white table full of dishes and desserts from different cultures. Attendees brought and shared meals from their home countries, allowing others a taste of their traditions. Peak mentioned that students from China, Albania, Turkey, South Africa, Mexico and Ireland are part of Union’s community. The potluck gave them a way to showcase aspects of their culture in a welcoming atmosphere.
MOSAIC’s motto, “diversity in unity,” is about unification despite cultural differences. “It means that no matter where we come from, we’re all united in Christ,” Peak said. “We’re all different, but we share that common faith and can learn from each other.”
MOSAIC plans on making the potluck a semesterly event so that more students and faculty have the opportunity to attend. “Not everyone can make it every time, so we want to do it more often,” Peak said. Increasing the number of events allows more students to discover and join the club while establishing new avenues for cultural understanding.
The organization is mainly focused on building a stronger and more unified campus where people can appreciate different cultures while coming together through Christ. Their goal is to continue expanding their reach and to create more opportunities for students to experience cultural diversity on campus.