On March 6, students, families, and faculty will gather to celebrate the rich diversity of cultures within the Riordan school community at this year’s inaugural Cultural Night.
With one of the most diverse private school populations in San Francisco, Riordan takes pride in fostering cultural appreciation and inclusivity.
The event promises an evening filled with performances, food, cultural and traditions from around the world, organized by Riordan’s culture-affiliated clubs and students eager to share their heritage.
Paul Ha ’25, president of Asian Student Association (ASA) shared his excitement about the club’s participation.
“We are planning to prepare foods and teas from various Asian countries, including China, India, Korea, Vietnam, and more,” he said. “We also plan to incorporate traditional clothing such as Hanbok, Qipao, Sari, and possibly Barong.”
Along with ASA, every culture-affiliated club is planning to show off their unique traditions at Cultural Night, including PAC, Black Student Union (BSU), Jewish Student Union (JSU), Latinos Unidos, Mediterranean Club, and Irish Heritage Club.
“We are planning performing two to three dances for the upcoming Cultural Night, a Samoan, Tongan, and Hawaiian dance,” KJ Dacoscos ’25, president of Pasifika Club, commented. “We are collaborating with SCDC (Samoan Community Development Center) and families to help with choreography for each of our dances.”
Beyond performances and food, many clubs hope to challenge common stereotypes about cultures. “We plan on showcasing our different types of music, clothing, styles of dance art, food, and more. Our culture isn’t the typical flowers, beaches, and coconut.
It’s way more than people really know, so we hope this event helps us be seen for more than that,” Dacoscos shared. Caroline O’Connell ’25 is currently planning on performing traditional Irish dancing with Neve Devlin ’28.
“Cultural Night is a celebration of creativity, diversity, and community, where people come together to experience R community,” she shared. “It’s a night to appreciate different traditions and feel connected through shared cultural experiences.”
As the event approaches, students emphasize the importance of cultural appreciation and unity.
“I believe cultural appreciation is important because one culture is not more important than another,” Dacoscos said. “we might have different styles, views, or beliefs, we are all beautiful and equal.”
