Food, dancing and singing were in abundance Saturday as the Ames and Kenyan communities came together to celebrate the cultural diversity of Kenya.

The Kenya Students Association held its sixth annual Kenyan Nite at the Collegiate United Methodist Church at 2622 Lincoln Way.

“The event is held every year, and what we do is have various Kenyan families and students come together for some good food and entertainment,” said David Rotich, graduate student in accounting. “This is not a one-person show – there was a lot of Kenyan community involvement as well as involvement from the Ames community.”

Rotich said in years past there have been varying amounts of students who help with the event.

“Depending on the number of Kenyan students on campus depends on the amount of help that we received,” he said. “This year there were freshmen and transfer Kenyan students that help put this event together and make it a success.”

Bringing more of Kenya’s culture to Ames is something important to the organization. Lindsey Beckwith, senior in philosophy, said many don’t know much about Kenyan culture.

“I have been to Kenya twice and taught there last summer – I am here just to meet new people and understand more about the Kenyan culture and people,” Beckwith said.

There were pieces of information shared throughout the event to increase everyone’s multicultural understanding. At the beginning of the event, the national anthems of both Kenya and the Unites States were played. There was also a PowerPoint presentation that included different facts about Kenya.

Though the educational factor of the event was important, some in attendance decided to participate just to have a good time at the event.

“My neighbor asked me to come – she is also a member of the Kenya Students Association,” said Bethany Wilson, freshman in political science. “She told me that there would be food and good entertainment, and it sounded like a good event to come to.”

Ebby Luvaga, Kenya Students Association adviser and senior lecturer of economics in agriculture and life sciences, introduced the guest speaker for the evening, Jeff Johnson, director of the Alumni Association.

Johnson said he was going to be “very personal” tonight and wanted to focus on the impact his trip to Kenya had on him. The focal point of his address was the life-changing mental impact of going to Kenya in December.

“There is a proud heritage that exists between ISU and the people of Kenya – it involves this deeper sense of feeling and connection and how Kenyans deeply respect their Iowa experience,” he said.

In addition to his experience traveling to Kenya, Johnson changed perspectives by speaking about Kenyan students coming to Iowa State.

“More American students need to find ways of embracing the large international student population on campus,” he said. “Kenyan families would send their kids back here to ISU, and that is because they recognize the value and acceptance by the people of Iowa.”

The knowledge Johnson obtained during his visit allowed him to understand the connection between America’s heartland and Kenya.

“I got to hear this information from the people of Kenya and those saying that Iowa is a great place to raise a family and stay connected to,” he said. “By us being connected, these families know that they will be around good people and knowing that their children will have a good education.”

Johnson spoke to many families during his trip to Africa and said his conversations left him feeling proud and thankful that he was able to share himself.

Before leaving, Johnson made sure the people of Kenya understood his gratitude for their contributions toward his experience.

“I had handwritten 82 thank-you notes to the people that did things for me during my trip,” Johnson said. “They didn’t know they were going to receive them, but I knew that this was something that I wanted to do to show them how thankful I was for their help.”

As the event came to an end, many people showed their smiles of support for the Kenyan tradition that has been going strong for six years.

“It was very important to have this gathering,” Luvaga said. “We are all here to enjoy ourselves with the Kenyans and the Ames community.”