Student groups joined efforts to promote a mix of cultures at the Multicultural Intercollegiate Career Conference last weekend.

The three-day event, which began Friday, drew an estimated 250 students from a wide assortment of ethnic backgrounds, organizers said.

The weekend festivities sponsored by the Multicultural Intercollegiate Organization, a GW student group that promotes multiculturalism and professionalism, said Emmanuella Duplessay, the group’s program chair.

Students participated in panel discussions and small group discussions, also finding time to network with employers.

But the highlights of the weekend for many were the cultural activities sponsored by the GW student groups.

The South Asian Society sponsored Spin the Globe in the Hippodrome Friday night to kick off the weekend festivities. The SAS event included cultural dances, a step show, poetry readings and skits from a several campus groups.

Group members said the dance event provided valuable insight.

It gives people a feel of different cultural dances from different parts of the world, said Nandu Machiraju, a member of SAS. People can see students at this school and what they have grown up with in their own cultures.

Spin the Globe included performances by members the Ballroom dance Society, the Bangladeshi Cultural Society, the Caribbean Student Association, the Arab Student Association and GW’s three historically black sororities – Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta and Zeta Phi Beta.

Students attended a formal dinner Friday night and listened to Vincent Pan, the CEO and co-founder of Heads Up, a volunteer program that is part of President Bill Clinton’s AmeriCorps initiative.

Conference coordinators selected GW to target Washington-area students and students who attend school on the East Coast, Duplessay said.

Marvin Lytle, the executive assistant of GW’s Multicultural Student Services, said the conference offered good opportunities for student organizations and participants.

It has helped them with their organization and leadership skills and it is a good coalition building tool by working with other schools, Lytle said.

About 300 students turned out for the GW Multicultural Intercollegiate Organization’s first event, Flavors of the World, last year.

Flavors of the World brought together a variety of ethnic foods for students to sample.

We are hoping this will make an impact so we will be remembered and it can be even bigger next year, Duplessy said.