SOCA transformed the Newman Vertical Campus Multipurpose Room into a winter-themed gala with many different decorations, including a stage centered in the room, where many of the performances took place.

Its really good. The performances were great, the music is good. Its good, everything is great, said Garfield Hylton, a Baruch alumnus who earned a degree in biological sciences.

Many of the performances brought awareness to Caribbean culture. Hip-hop and rhythm and blues artist Genique, for example, arrived at Baruch with the intention of making Baruch students feel welcome to the culture.

I definitely think Baruch would, like, value the diversity Im bringing with, like, the Caribbean culture, so Im Jamaican. Theres a lot of Jamaican students here, or just students from the Caribbean, she said. Rap music is a part of the culture, R&B is a part of the culture. Im just happy to be bringing all of that to Baruch.

At the gala, dinner was served, which included chicken and pasta. The process of setting up the event was explained by Albaceer Casimir, a junior at Baruch studying biology.

Weve been talking about setting this event for like a month now, this is really the biggest event of the semester. What we did was, like, we would meet to talk about the theme we wanted and put that into effect, Casimir said. The following week, we discussed what exactly we want to bring to the event in terms of decorations and drinks. We just talked for a couple weeks and figured out where to get the decorations and who is in charge of the drinks.

SOCA President Ryan Shivcharran explained the message SOCA tried to send with their event.

We just want people to get more aware [of] the Caribbean, Shivcharran said. We have a bunch of Caribbean performers tonight. We just want to express that.

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Dec 12 Spices of the Winter Gala celebrates Caribbean culture - The Ticker