Mardi Gras-masked international students mingled and danced to culturally diverse music Friday night at the International Cultural Center.The International Student Association and the ICC co-hosted the Around the World Masquerade Ball, which featured a fashion show of native clothing and dance performances by Sophia Renke, forensic anthropology graduate student from Canada.  The ball was held to give about 60 attending international students a piece of home, but masks were worn to offer students an aspect of Mardi Gras, said Mili Reyes, ISA vice president and architecture and construction management sophomore from Honduras.Students modeling their culture on the runway were interspersed with Scottish highland dance performances by Renke.”We’re so consumed with school, and everybody is homesick, but this is a little bit of enjoyment for the evening,” Renke said.The fashion and dance show taught international students about the traditions of other countries and highlighted the representatives at the University from those places, Reyes said.”Part of studying abroad is looking at the culture of the place, so that’s why I try to make it a point to come to the events put onby the ICC,” said Avishek Guha, mechanical engineering graduate student from India.Domino’s Pizza provided food for the event, which was funded by Student Government. “This late night activity was supposed to be a welcoming activity, but because of Gustav we couldn’t, and all the planning was turned back,” Reyes said. “Now it’s kind of a farewell.”
 
 
 
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