The African Students’ Association is looking for models to help showcase the diverse culture of ACU’s students for its Project Reach fashion show.

A model call will take place from 5-6 p.m. Wednesday at Chapel on the Hill to select students to appear in the fashion show.

The ASA, in association with the Office of Multicultural Enrichment, will present the show at 7 p.m. March 27 at Chapel on the Hill. Admission will be $5 or two cans of non-perishable food items.

Janice Nkrumah, junior kinesiology major from Houston, came up with the idea for Project Reach when she first arrived at ACU. She said she noticed the separation of cultures on campus and wanted to highlight the differences instead of letting them go unseen.

“Coming from a city, I’m used to different groups coming together,” Nkrumah said. “So I wanted to host an experience where we can all come together, all have fun and embrace our differences.”

Soo Hun Yoo, junior biochemistry major from Sierra Leone, is president of ASA and said they are focusing on raising awareness of other cultures using fashion.

“This is one of our longest-running events for our group, and we can just be creative with it,” he said. “I’m just excited to see the spreading of our mission.”

In the past, the fashion show has featured looks from Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, Mexico, Columbia, Korea, Vietnam, China, Thailand and India.

“People who grew up there often donate their clothes for the event, and we take good care of them and return them after the show,” Nkrumah said.

Another goal of Project Reach is to showcase the students’ different cultures in a fun and exciting way.

“It’s not a serious fashion show,” Nkrumah said. “It’s not Vogue. You should dance like you want to because I want the audience to get a glimpse of the culture that is being showcased at that time.”

Project Reach does not stop at raising awareness for different cultures – it also gives back to the community.

Admission fees will go toward ASA and its investments in the non-profit microfinance company Kiva, which helps small businesses around the world. Cans collected at the event will be donated to the West Texas Food Bank in Abilene.

“I feel like culture can enrich a community, so why not give back?” Nkrumah said.

For more information or to volunteer for the show, email shy12a@acu.edu or jmn12a@acu.edu.