Models took time for a selfie after the Northern Essex Community College African Students fashion show.

New this year, Northern Essex Community College’s African Student Club was created in part to help share African culture throughout the college.

On Wednesday, April 20 the club achieved that in a very colorful way when they hosted the first African Attire Fashion Show.

Students, faculty, staff, and alumni modeled beautifully patterned fashions from a host of countries including African countries Kenya, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Togo and the West Indian countries os St. Lucia, Jamaica, Grenada, and Haiti.

A highlight of the event was when model Ercania Mesidor of Methuen, a General Studies: Health Specialization major at NECC, sang a traditional Haitian song wearing a long Haitian dress in a boldly patterned geometric print incorporating green, turquoise, and black.

The clothing was modeled in four categories: Dashikis (a loose shirt or tunic), street and market wear, dressy/party outfits, and formal occasion, and NECC student Moesha Murray of Plaistow, NH was the announcer, sharing background on each model.

The idea for the club was born in Professor Peter Flynn’s Psychology class.   “We realized there were three persons of African descent in the class, and we decided to start a club,” said Mudasari Oluwafolakemi of Lawrence, club president, who is majoring in business at NECC.  The students pooled their cell phone contact lists and discovered they were connected to a couple dozen NECC students who were of African descent, plenty to start a club.

The club meets every Wednesday at noon for refreshments and cultural presentations and members also socialize outside of school.  Professors Peter Flynn and Sheila Pierre are faculty advisors to the club and club officers include Rose Bellahalea of Haverhill,  Biology major, vice president; Tracy Mukami of Dracut, journalism communications major, secretary; and Casimir Ntar of Haverhill, accounting major, treasurer, in addition to President Oluwafolakemi.

For more information on the club, please contact Peter Flynn at pflynn@necc.mass.edu or 978 556-3363.  For a list of student clubs at Northern Essex Community College, visit the website.