International Night took place Thursday night in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. and was organized by the International Student Council.

The night consisted of an compilation of the International Week’s events.

When entering the event, attendees were given the opportunity to donate money to a relief fund for the typhoon that occurred in the Philippines.

Several students have teamed up to collect this money, one of them being Janna Lovan, senior in kinesiology and health.

“This is the fourth event that we have been collecting money at this week, and we have raised over $700,” said Lovan.

Lovan said that they were only going to do International Week at first, but with the success, they may continue to collect money after break.

Toward the beginning of the night, 12 pre-selected students were awarded $500 scholarships.

The money was raised by the International Student Council and the Vice President’s office from Veishea international food fair in spring 2013. 

This event included a free meal of tandoori chicken, empanadas and buttermilk brownies. 

Thomas Wilde, graduate student in mechanical engineering, said that the food was one of the main reasons that he had chosen to come out.

“I have some international friends, and they wanted to show me the food and the experience,” Wilde said.

The night continued on to a show of dances that were performed by different multicultural and student organizations.

“There are performers [that] represent Puerto Rico, India, Korea, Africa, Thailand, and there is also the American dance crew, Motion Sickness, that is taking part in the event,” said Fang Hao Lim, an events coordinator for International Student Council and junior in microbiology.

Sidd Gupta, senior in supply chain management, is involved in Iowa State’s Bhangra team, which preformed a traditional Bhangra dance from Punjab, India.

Gupta said that this is his first year on the team and that he is having a blast with it.

“I’ve seen a lot of my friends doing [it] and watched them perform,” Gupta said. “I just told myself last year that I was going to be a part of this.” 

The performance of Bhangra was not the only thing that was important to Gupta. He said International Night also held importance to him as well.

“International Night means a lot; it’s great to see that so many people care about not just coming and watching the show but also showing their own culture,” Gupta said. 

Different organizations also took the runway in a fashion show toward the end that showed off traditional wear from around the world.

The fashion show featured many countries, including China, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Malaysia, Thailand, Romania, Indonesia, Nepal, Korea, Russia and Uzbekistan.

“It was definitely a good way to experience others’ culture and was a fun night,” Gupta said.