Members of various registered student organizations watch a presentation on stage in the Pegasus Ballroom during the spring 2026 Cultural Fair on Tuesday.
Andrew Cherico
The buzz of conversation, colorful displays and captivating music filled the Pegasus Ballroom in the Student Union as more than 30 cultural organizations gathered for the spring 2026 Cultural Fair, hosted by the Diversified Greek Council in collaboration with the Multicultural Student Center.
The event featured music, food and cultural displays representing communities across campus. Attendees sampled cuisine ranging from Indian to Italian dishes while organizations proudly showcased their traditions.
Groups such as the Cuban Student Association, Syrian Student Association and several Greek-letter organizations represented their cultures in front of the crowd.
The event was especially meaningful for Diversified Greek Council President Brandon Torres, who said everyone should have the opportunity to safely represent their culture while building community on campus.
“I think in a time where people might be afraid to showcase their cultures and their history and their roots, I think it’s important to have a night where everybody’s just able to really be themselves, pride and represent wherever they’re from,” Torres said. “Then come together and celebrate other cultures that maybe you haven’t been exposed to as well as ourselves on campus that maybe get overlooked because the exposure just isn’t there.”
As the event has grown over the past two years, Torres emphasized the importance of continuing its expansion and giving more cultural RSOs the opportunity to represent themselves within the UCF community.
“What we really wanted to do by continuing to grow this event year by year is making sure that those RSOs know that they have a community here at UCF,” Torres said. “They’re welcome and that we all want what’s best for each other, and we all want to see each other grow.”
Whether they were Greek-letter organizations or cultural RSOs, each group had the opportunity to take the stage and showcase what their organization offers to UCF, along with promoting future events and giving attendees a chance to learn more.
Cavana McKenzie, prime minister of the Jamaican Student Association and a senior integrated business major at UCF, said she viewed the event as a safe space to promote the organization she represents and appreciated the opportunity for groups to support one another.
Audience members sit and watch the stage during the spring 2026 Cultural Fair on Tuesday in the Pegasus Ballroom.
Andrew Cherico
“I know there’s a lot of Jamaicans, but it can be like international students, or people that are Jamaican American, or people that have migrated here,” McKenzie said. “Like, there’s many different stories, so just creating a home base for everyone to be able to mix and mingle and just like kind of reconnect, or have the ability to get others to reconnect to their culture is something I don’t take lightly.”
McKenzie expressed gratitude for the opportunity to network at the DGC Cultural Fair.
“I was really grateful for the opportunity,” McKenzie said. “I feel like it differentiates itself from convocation, for example, which is still a good opportunity, but this focuses more on the Caribbean and Latino culture as well.”
McKenzie said the event’s marketing helped attract more Jamaican students than usual, giving her the chance to connect with more members of the community.
The event may seem like a fun celebration filled with pride and culture. For many students, however, it represents something deeper: a sense of freedom to express who they are.
Diversified Greek Council Vice President Luisana Ramírez-Franchini, who was born in Venezuela but moved at a young age. For her, representing her culture carries deeper meaning.
Ramírez-Franchini said she tries to share as much as possible with her friends and with other people who are non-Venezuelans, as she feels like it’s a great way to represent her culture in a positive light.
“To me, representing culture means bringing awareness to all the different things that encompass our culture and also sharing that with the general community,” Ramírez-Franchini said. “Not just sharing that between those members of that culture.”