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By Jamie Karras
Chinese dancers perform while the judges tallied their votes in the Mr. and Ms. International contest. / Photo by Jamie Karras A stroll down a long hallway on the third floor of the Taggart Student Center at Utah State University reveals a wall lined with pictures of queens -- beauty queens that is. These young ladies, crowned with sparkling tiaras, represent countries from all over the world. And they, along with a male counterpart, were awarded the titles of Mr. and Ms. International. Those photos represent years past. Two new photos are about to be added to the already substantial collection. The pictures are of Mr. Pakistan and Ms. India, or more specifically, Omer Khan and Mansi Amin. The pageant was Friday, with many different nationalities present to cheer on their favorite contestant. Preliminary events were held the day before. Portions of Friday's competition focused in on at the pageant were talent and interview skills. Each of the nine contestants' talents portrayed a part of his/her culture. A few included Mr. Korea, Tae Min Han, and his Korean rock band. Ms. Thailand, Archaree Phiphadkusolkul, performed a traditional Thai dance in a vibrant pink ethnic costume. Ms. India performed a dance called "Sour Limes," in which she, a sister to a bride, taunted the groomsmen. This particular talent had the most audience participation. In the interview portion, contestants were mainly asked questions about life in their country. "What world problem concerns you the most and can you present a solution," was a question Mr. China, Hui Gao, had 30 seconds to think about. "I see constant wars every day," Gao said. "I hope we can work hand in hand and share our peaceful world." Halfway though Mr. Pakistan's answer he forgot the actual question. Even still he pulled out the win. Ms. India said one of the most important reasons for international education is the opportunity to be exposed to many cultures. "Once you get to know a lot of cultures, you appreciate your culture even more," Ms. India said. "People are nice here," said Ms. China, Yinghui Wang, said when asked what her favorite thing about American life. People say hello to you even though they don't know you, she said. Mr. Pakistan and Ms. India echoed Ms. China's thoughts. They both came to USU because they say it is a very safe place. Both had family members who had previously attended school in Cache Valley. "You cannot get distract[ed] even if you try," said Mr. Pakistan about how the small town relates to his education. Winners were chosen by a panel of judges, all of which are somehow connected to the university; whether an adviser, professor, employee or otherwise. Competition wasn't the only entertainment of the evening. While the audience members awaited the judges final decisions, they enjoyed dances from cultures around the globe -- a Gharba, Bhangra and a Chinese dance. Of the 92 counties represented at USU, the pageant revealed only a few, but many more can be seen all over campus.
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