Cultural Fusion District grows at SRHS
By Ashley Shah
Sean Angert, a junior at Scripps Ranch High School (SRHS), is the co-founder and president of the Cultural Fusion District, an organization that runs through online platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and their own website.
“The goal of the organization is to educate and spread cultural awareness,” Angert said. “There are many different types of posts that we do in order to reach our goal. For example, we interview random members of the community and ask them questions about different cultures, and if they get them right, they earn a prize. Other posts include interviews from people of different cultures, the stereotypes that they have endured, and the misconceptions with those cultures.”
The organization started during the peak of the COVID pandemic in 2020.
“My older brother, Justin, and I started the organization during the pandemic because we had gotten very close with our grandma. We would Facetime often, and she told us how when she was younger and living in Ukraine, she was not able to openly express her Jewish beliefs. They had to flee to America,” Angert said. “Hearing those stories influenced us into creating an organization that promotes a more inclusive community and environment in which people are not afraid to express their identities.”
In 2023, Angert was able to bring the organization into in-person spaces.
“Around 2023, we created a club at SRHS for the Cultural Fusion District as a way to create a more personable experience,” he said. “We have been able to host in-person events, such as potlucks where members of the community bring food items from their culture.”
With the organization running for almost five years now, they have made some major accomplishments.
“We have hit over 10 million views across multiple platforms, which is amazing to see that people from all over are engaging with our content,” Angert said.
Recently, Angert was able to have Cultural Fusion Day declared Oct. 24 in the City of San Diego.
“It was a goal of mine this year to have a day that relates to the goal of our organization in our city,” he said. “We started petitioning and gaining community support during the fall of last year. I think our message and mission resonated with the City of San Diego. On Feb. 14, the mayor, Todd Gloria, officially signed a proclamation naming Oct. 24 as Cultural Fusion Day.”
Oct. 24, 1945, was the day the United Nations was established.
“We felt that it would be fitting to declare the day on the same day the United Nations was formed because that felt like the first attempt made to unite cultures of the world and bring peace,” Angert said.
Angert hopes to have a celebration with this being the first year that Oct. 24 is officially Cultural Fusion Day.
“I want to have a celebration in Balboa Park hosted at the international houses, and partner with local businesses and restaurants who can provide food and games from different cultures for people to try and experience,” he said.
More information for the celebration will come as the date gets closer.
This accomplishment is only a stepping stone for Angert.
“I want to have this day declared as a holiday statewide and nationwide. We need a day of cultural unity considering all the events going on in modern society,” he said. “While I do think it is important to have a day named, I wish for society to live in unity 365/365 days in the year. Getting a day named is an important step toward that goal.”
For more information about the organization, visit justinangert.wixsite.com/website-1.