PHOTO | Anna Colby
Returning from a two-year hiatus last Wednesday, April 6, was Arkansas Tech’s Light the Night event. The event, which took place at Hindsman Tower, celebrated various cultures from around the world. Admission was free, and hundreds of visitors, including Tech students and faculty and members of the Russellville community, gathered to enjoy food, drinks, and activities.
Booths represented Bangladesh, China, India, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe. There was also a booth run by Arkansas Tech University, which featured a QR code that could be used to donate to Ukraine. The link remains active, and all donations will be going to the Ukraine Red Cross.
“It’s cool to see everybody come together. To see students and the people of Russellville get together to appreciate all the different cultures represented at Tech,” Karysn Buchanan, a Life Science Education major from Benton, said.
As is tradition, a competition was held for the best booth. Upon entering the event, visitors were given the slip of paper, and a table set up beneath the bell tower allowed visitors to submit their tickets into the box of their choice.
By the end of the night, Japan placed; first, Bangladesh placed second, and China third. India received an honorable mention.
Meyu Kanazawa, president of the JSA, took to Instagram to celebrate with the JSA and its supporters.
“All of the JSA members put so much effort and time to achieve this goal,” Kanazawa wrote. “We faced many challenges, but we had great people. We absolutely could not have won without each one of you guys’ help. Thank you for helping us and for supporting JSA.”
