The Panamanian Association hosted PANAS Connection Thursday to celebrate Panama’s National Month and to crown the 2022-2023 University East and University West Panamanian queens. 

PANAS selected the campus’s first queens to represent Panamanian culture through UC East and UC West in April 2022. 

PANAS chose Lendy Dominguez, freshman biochemistry major, as the 2022-2023 UC West queen and PANAS’s first Montenegrin queen Matea Radović, junior biochemistry major, as the 2022-2023 UC East queen. Radović was not present at the event, so she made a pre-recorded video for PANAS to show the audience.

The event included free food, Zumba, karaoke and a fashion show. The fashion show featured members of PANAS and the 2021-2022 UC West queen Hilda Magallon, senior mechanical engineering major, and the 2021-2022 UC East queen Maria Lopez, junior civil engineering major. 

 Hugo Cesar Chávez, sophomore biochemistry major, said PANAS Connection is a multicultural event for others to learn about Panamanian culture. 

“The main goal of the event is to show our traditions, customs and culture as Panamanians and also allow all USI students to actually learn about our country,” said Chávez. 

Chávez said PANAS hosted the event to celebrate Panama’s Independence day and other important holidays for Panama in the month of November.

Kaelyn Moreno, senior civil engineering major, said, “We made a big batch of everything. We celebrate all those things together with a carnival with the preamble to the carnival next year.”

Magallon said being the 2021-2022 UC West queen of the first Panamanian carnival is a memory she will never forget.

Lopez said being the 2021-2022 UC East Panamanian queen allowed her to share her culture with everyone.

Dominguez said she is excited about becoming the new UC West queen because this is her first year on campus.

Students said they had different reasons for attending the event. 

Jacob Smith, freshman finance major, said he attended the event to learn about different cultures because he is in a minority. He said he would recommend others attend PANAS Connection. 

“I’m very open with trying things, so I know a lot of people down for it that would at least try,” Smith said.

Aqsa Noor, civil engineering major, said she went to the event because she has a lot of Panamanian friends and wanted to learn more about Panama.

“I’ve been hearing about this because my friends are performing, so I wanted to know what they’re performing,” Noor said. 

Magallon said Panama is a country with people who know giving up is never an option. She said Panamanians are known to be hard workers and love their country. 

“I just want to highlight how awesome it is that even if we are from all parts of the world, with different cultures and backgrounds, we are all unified as Screagles forever,” Magallon said.