MOST OUTSTANDING Cultural Program NOMINEE
University of Mississippi Vietnamese American Student Association (OLe VASA)
Ole VASA Culture Show
Describe the cultural program and how it meets the mission and goals of the organization. Details MUST include: Date of event, number of participants, program purpose (i.e. goals and objectives), member involvement, use of resources, and marketing techniques.
Culture show is an annual event that celebrates Lunar New Years within the community. The event was held on February 22,2025 at the Jackson Avenue Center. The event had many foods and drinks from local Asian restaurants. There were a variety of activities such as Bầu cua, lantern painting, and more! Bầu cua was a very popular game that we used tokens as the form of currency and had a prize table to let them redeem the tokens. Prizes included plushees, stickers, and more. Along with these activities, there were also performances such as lion dance and fan dance performed by Ole VASA members. These performances served to display the Vietnamese culture in bringing in the new years. We had an interactive kahoot that allowed for members to potentially win some Ole VASA merch. In addition, we also had a giveaway where we spun a wheel among all the people who signed into the event to receive some Ole VASA merch as well. There was also karaoke for members to enjoy after programming occurred as well. We posted on instagram and made flyers to hang in most of the buildings here on campus with an easy QR code to scan for people who are interested in attending.
How did this cultural program serve the campus and/or community?
This cultural program served as a way for those in the community to embrace Vietnamese culture and be involved. Many of our members adore this holiday as it has been an important part in their childhoods. The community was welcome to actively participate and see what the holiday consists of and become more knowledgeable on why many of our members love this holiday. This event was located in an area relatively close to campus that many students had access to which allowed for a great attendance.
Did the organization overcome any challenges that arose while planning and implementing the cultural program/event? How?
This event had trouble with some participation as to lion dance. Lion dance was honestly put together on the same day. It was a bit last minute ,but it turned out to be perfectly fine. Our photobackdrop was not the best either as it was not wide enough which we should get a bigger one for next year. Beyond that, the event was successful as many enjoyed the activites and performances there were to offer.
