Between the numerous lines and crevices that trace a map lie plenty of traditions and millions of people that give each country, however big or small, its unique distinction. Providing a space that properly recognizes these fine details has been an overarching goal for the Pacific Islanders Culture Society (PICS) and the Polish Cultural Association (PCA) — East’s two newest culture clubs.
Nearly a year ago, when Fatima Tariq (‘28) worked alongside Caitlin Shaw (‘28) and a few of their friends preparing to found PICS, they were told by a couple of teachers to join the Filipino Culture Society — a club for another country and culture, thousands of miles away.
“It was appalling just because I’ve never expected people, a teacher, to group an entire subsect of people in the entire Pacific Islander society — which is already such a broad region — into Filipino culture,” said Tariq, who now serves as the club’s treasurer.
Despite these initial rejections, the PICS was founded in early October 2025. For the group of friends, two of whom are from the Pacific Islands — including Shaw, the President of PICS — founding the club was a way to celebrate and commemorate the distinct Pacific Islander culture.
Admittedly, Tariq isn’t a Pacific Islander herself — and yet, in her experience collaborating with her Pacific Islander friends, she has learned so much more about the depths of the culture through her own research and collaborations with her friends.
“Being able to be exposed to Pacific Islander culture, [has] definitely opened me up to a lot of the negative [generalizations] that surround them,” Tariq said. “And I think it’s definitely been really nice to see the kind of culture, the atmosphere, the languages, the dance. It’s all a lot of fun, and being able to support my friend by participating in her club has also been really rewarding.”
Despite the setbacks the club has encountered — cultural generalizations and event cancellations due to weather — the PICS hopes to represent Pacific Islander culture for East at the upcoming Multicultural Day (MCD) this March with a booth featuring traditional Pacific Islander cuisine, with plans for a dance in the coming years as it garners more participants. Yet, even this year, with limited members and resources, this has not posed a negative for the PICS community.
“We’re such a [small] club [that] being able to divide up the work of who’s running the booth, who’s getting stuff for it, what we are doing, what the decorations will look like,” Tariq said. “It’s a lot [more tightly knit], so everyone has to chip in a bit more than, I think, larger clubs.”
Through these efforts, PICS hopes to accomplish what cultural clubs are meant to do.
Similarly, the PCA was founded in early November 2025 by Dylan Zane (‘27) and a few of his friends after noticing that the Eastern Culture Club’s large scope prevented it from presenting Polish culture thoroughly.
“We wanted to have something, because the two other founders and I were Polish, and we wanted to see something that is more of a direct comparison to our Polish culture,” said Zane, PCA president. “We wanted to do something more direct about Poland specifically.”
Throughout its past year at East, the PCA board has dedicated its efforts to providing an in-depth educational space dedicated to exploring Poland through, primarily, fundraising efforts that would allow for a budget to represent all of Poland, not only the history, but also the culture, music, and traditions. This, alongside the club’s increased interactions during meetings, allowed the club to foster a close-knit community.
Through the club’s success, Zane has personally seen the connective capabilities of culture: people formed friendships with those they hadn’t interacted with, and preexisting bonds were strengthened through the embracing of Polish culture. This, Zane recognizes, is just one of the various efforts in increasing diversity at East.
As this year’s MCD rapidly approaches with its theme of “Echoes of the Past: Golden Ages & Origins,” the club is excited to showcase its past efforts in exploring Polish history.
“Because we’re getting to research more of the history, because our main topic of the club [right now is] learning about the current culture, we are excited to [do so] because that is what the theme is this year,” said Zane.
After months of preparation and plenty of effort, both the PICS and the PCA have built positive, cultural communities at East that have fostered meaningful connections. As culture clubs prepare for MCD, the PICS and the PCA hope to, once again, give students a glimpse into the heritage that lies beyond their surface appearance.
