Over the weekend of August 9 and 10, Session B students from the Cross Cultural Internship Program (CCIP) joined in the festivities of the 24th Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York (HKDBF-NY), an annual sporting event in celebration of the fifth month of the lunar calendar. Thirteen participants, representing FUSIA Communications and CCIP, raced in the dragon boat competition while other CCIP students volunteered at the festival booths.

This year's CCIP booth's theme is cultural enrichment. CCIP crafted and distribute colorful flower balloon bracelets at FUSIA's booth, which attracted many visitors. The students engaged the community with their spirit and energy. The students had much fun handcrafting and distributing balloon bracelets, taking photos with the kids, learning about the local culture, and teaching visitors about their own.

"This is my first time to not only take part in such a huge event as the manager for both our booth and race team," said Queenie Chan, the manager of the booth and a second-year student who studies business journalism at the Hang Seng Management School. "We had a lot of fun coming up with the ideas for the booth and working together at the festival. A lot of people showed interest in us and were very supportive of what we do in the program."

Meanwhile, the CCIP paddlers showed their morale and determination in the dragon boat races, inspired by the cheers of their peers. Although the team did not gain a victory, the weekend was still a success for all, through engagement with communities, volunteering, and a display of true team spirit.

"We really are all in the same boat. I think we all did well in the race keeping up the energy, and the volunteer team did a great job at the booths!" said Diane Xie, CCIP's dragon boat captain, a second-year student who studies business design and innovation in the University of Hong Kong.

At the festival's end on Sunday, the students had dinner together at Applebee's to celebrate their hard work and volunteer efforts over the weekend.

The Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York (www.hkdbf-ny.org) is the oldest and largest dragon boat festival in the United States. It is held annually in the Flushing-Corona Meadows Park. The festival hosts over 120 dragon boat teams from across North America and provides visitors with traditional Chinese foods and performances.

FUSIA Communications, the organizer of CCIP, has supported this event as a creative sponsor since 2012.