Ferndale High School’s cafeteria was filled with hundreds of community members on the night of March 10, sampling cuisine from around the globe. Visitors, students, and staff mingled while sharing meals and watching fantastic performances from Latinx youth dance group Las Chicas Reynas, the India School of Dance, and FHS’ own Ches Kwin club.

This lively event was the idea of FHS junior Jasmin Bautista, who was thrilled by how everything turned out.

“It was amazing to see everyone come together as a community and embrace each other's cultures,” she said. “The event was a great success.”

Bautista came up with the idea of Multicultural Night during leadership class, where students had to create a project that aligned with one of the class beliefs. One of those beliefs is “You Belong” – also Ferndale School District’s theme for the school year – and Bautista said she felt an event showcasing the many cultures within FHS’ student body and staff would fit that theme.

“Underrepresented students were able to feel acknowledged and loved,” Bautista said. “It also gave the community an opportunity to learn about the cultures, performances and foods they may not have tried or even heard of.”

About 24% of FHS’ student population is Hispanic or Latino of any race, about 7% is Native American, about 5.5% is Asian, and about 6.4% of FHS students identify as more than one race, according to state data. Ferndale is the most ethnically diverse city in Whatcom County according to the U.S. Census, with more than 25% of residents identifying as a race or ethnicity other than non-Hispanic white.

Bautista collaborated with her fellow FHS students to create the event, along with outside non-profit organizations such as Ferndale Community Coalition, the Northwest Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and the Mt. Baker Foundation. She also worked closely with Andrea Tafoya, who is the Migrant Specialist and Latinx Student Support at FHS. Tafoya also serves as the staff advisor for the Latinx-centered MEChA Club, which Bautista is the president of.

Tafoya said she was wowed by Bautista’s drive and determination in creating Multicultural Night.

“She’s a rock star,” Tafoya said. “If she wants to do something, she’s going to make it happen.”

At Multicultural Night, FHS staff and students hosted 15 tables in the cafeteria, representing 15 different cultures and/or countries, such as Vietnam, Palestine and Russia. Many of these tables had different foods for visitors to sample, like Lebanese lahn bi ajeen (meat pies), Filipino lumpia (spring rolls), and Brazilian Pao de Quiejo (cheesy bread).

At her table, sophomore River Anderson had a selection of foods that were either staples of Black communities or were made possible thanks to African American inventions, such as potato chips and Wheat Thins.

“These are examples of how a lot of things wouldn’t exist – such as a large part of our agricultural base – if it weren’t for Black pioneers like George Washington Carver,” Anderson said.

The students hosting tables at Multicultural Night all had positive things to say about the event and its significance to Ferndale.

“We have such a diverse community, and honoring that is a very important thing,” said freshman Harleen Malli, who is Indian. “It brings us closer.”

“People always say, ‘Oh, you’re Mexican’ … it doesn’t offend me, because people don’t know their geography,” said junior Brandon Dominguez-Nolasco, who is Salvadorian and Honduran. “That’s why we’re here to help them understand where I’m from and what other countries there are.”