Banlusak, Nathaniel

Hi, I'm Nathaniel!

As a San Diego local, I grew up surrounded by so many diverse cultural groups, and was exposed to so various cultural cuisines from a very young age. Coming from a Laotian ethnic background, I was raised on the spicy, sour and bold flavors that are common in mainland Southeast Asia. Resulting from this, food became a major aspect of my personal life, and became a major cultural, social, and personal experience. Going into university and into adulthood, I have continued to expand my palate and expose myself to foods from all over the world in order to gain a deeper understanding of nuanced aspects of culture and, of course, food in general!

My Interests

Aside from food as a social experience, I am also really interested and enjoy performing arts. More specifically dancing and singing. Aside from that, I am very passionate about things like sustainable fashion and personal care. On a deeper level, I have grown to become very involved in social justice and advocating for minority groups such as the Asian-American community as well as the LGBTQ+ community both in the US and abroad. Having grown up in such a diverse environment that was made up of predominantly minority groups and identities, I feel that the nature of my interests reflects the environment that I was raised in.

In the future, I plan to work in the beauty and entertainment industry, maybe in marketing or social media services.

Winter 2023 Capstone Paper

INTL 190 | FINAL PAPER