“You want to put on the best possible performance for people who would otherwise probably not get to experience your culture.”

The annual event, which falls either at the beginning or end of International Education Week, is an opportunity for international students and organizations to display the cultures they come from.

“This is all about cultures and all the interesting things from people’s cultures,” said Peggy Arbanas, co-director of Global Festival 2007 and member of Community Volunteers for International Programs, one of several organizations sponsoring this year’s event.

This year’s event featured about 25 groups doing performances, a global cafe with food selections from around the world and more than 20 countries with exhibits of their nation.

Community Volunteers for International Programs, or CVIP, is an organization that helps international students adapt to American culture and provides them with services to meet their immediate needs.

Many members of CVIP who helped organize Global Festival 2007 have also lived overseas, said Ruth Fienup, member of CVIP who lived in Argentina and Brazil for 10 years and headed publicity for the event.

“It’s a long process and we never feel like we do a good enough job,” Fienup said of the event.

For Korean Student Organization member and advertising senior Jeong Min Lee, the festival is an opportunity to explain his culture and his nation to those who may not otherwise know the difference between Korea and Japan.

“We have to represent our nation and be proud of it and who we are,” Lee said. “Kids will ask how to write their name in Korean and they are kind of surprised by it.”

Students representing their countries during the Global Festival serve as ambassadors for their countries, Arbanas said.

“People from the community can come here and see what an amazing group of international people we have,” Arbanas said.