One World Warwick: A party to remember

Mitchell Fung

MSc Marketing and Strategy, 2010;
BSc Management, 2009

The World Party was the final act. On a cold night in January 2009, the very last event was held in the legendary Temporary Events Space on Tocil Field - we called it the “Tent” or the T.E.S., a structure put in place to house 2000 students whilst the new union building was being constructed. Countless parties were had in this space: Pop, Smack, Heat, Top Banana. But World Party was the only one befitting to give it its final farewell.

One World Week was well known to be the largest student run event in the world. Over 200 volunteers facilitated over 20,000 participants over the course of the week. We proudly announced these slogans and statistics, and months of planning were necessary for such a large-scale event. It was a badge of honour to be part of it.

It was here we found the purpose and drive for a greater cause, a common goal to display the best of us and a common goal to showcase the beauty of all our cultures. It wasn’t just choreography; intellect led the One World Forum. One World Carnival brought vibrancy to the campus. The One World Fashion show displayed our creativity (and oddities), One World Music concert immersed us in emotion, exotic animals intrigued us during the region days and countless other talents were celebrated. World Party was only the finale to top off a week of sheer brilliance.

As I drink my Trappist beer in a quiet suburb of Belgium, I look back at the friends I have made during my university days. From One World Week, international orientation to freshers week, these friendships shaped the networks around the world I get to enjoy today; be it first hand or with degrees of separation. A stint in London allowed me to nurture these relationships, but it was at the University of Warwick that they were born.

Last Christmas, I was in Vietnam for a wedding of a Warwick alum. Last month, I was in Portugal for another. In three months, I’ll be in Taiwan for yet another. I regularly see another two in the Netherlands, and one lives just a stone's throw away in Brussels. This is the diaspora that is the Warwick alumni.

For a few years after graduation, a group of us would return for the World Party – to reminisce, to dance at the union and to eat at the burger van, until such a time our age no longer permitted.

None of these enduring relationships and adventures would have been possible without the diversity that represents the University of Warwick. And when I was there, One World Week – for a moment, a fleeting week, brought us together for a goal, to explore cultures, and to create memories and relationships that will last a lifetime.