New York City, one of the most culturally diverse places in the world houses over 8 million people, hundreds of languages, all within 5 boroughs. Queens, known as a “Global Mosaic,” is the most diverse borough, featuring dozens of distinct ethnic enclaves, like Flushing, South Ozone Park, Jackson Heights, and even our own neighborhood, Forest Hills.
Growing up in Queens exposes people to the diversity from a young age. It’s a norm to see people of different ethnic backgrounds in the same classroom or train car.
On January 29, 2026, Forest Hills High School spotlighted an abundance of cultures represented in our community during the annual Multicultural Festival, where friends, families and staff gathered to watch performances of different ethnicities from all over the world.
This year’s festival had a full house, packed with an eccentric, vibrant audience. There were 18 performances representing countries ranging from the Middle East and Asia to islands in the Caribbean sea.
Some of the performances featured the Mexican club, an Indo-Paki dance by Hills students Alishba and Helcy , a dance from the Himalayan club, the South Asian club and more.
Audience feedback was all positive.
Fatima Barrie, a junior and president of the Caribbean culture club, danced in both the African and Caribbean dances during the festival. She stressed the importance in bringing more representation towards the Caribbean and African community in our school. “For the Forest Hills community, since the demographic is more European, we’re trying to show that yes, the Caribbean and African diversity may be small, but it is definitely loud.”
Not only does the festival shine a light on different ethnicities and their traditions, but it also encourages people to join school clubs and be more involved in the school community.
Jayda Lang, a junior and participant in the festival she said that the reason she joined is because she was inspired by the performance from the year prior. “I saw the performance done by the Caribbean club … I was like oh my goodness. Next year, I have to be there, like, performing. And that’s exactly what I did.”
One answer remained consistent from the performers and their favorite part of this whole process: it gave them all the opportunity to hang out and do something they enjoy with their friends. It was the chance to create something that they are proud of with friends. It’s a community.
Everyone brings pieces of their culture wherever they go and it’s essential to understand that our diversity is our biggest strength. All ethnicities, cultures, and traditions are beautiful in their own way.
“The only thing that is more powerful than hate is love,”
– Bad Bunny ‘26
