Beginning on Nov. 15 and running through Nov. 19, NSU will host International Education Week, a series of events that is designed to inspire students to learn about other cultures and appreciate the diversity of NSU.
The event will begin with a parade of flags. The parade will include flag bearers from almost every country represented at NSU, and will take place on campus. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own flags and assist in the march. There will be a photoshoot at the end where flag-bearers will get a group picture.
The message behind this, as Oriana Lopez, graduate assistant for Razor’s Edge Global and committee member for International Education Week explains, is that “Sometimes we only see color. But color can be deceiving.” She noted that people of all races can be from any country.
There will also be smaller events such as optical practical training and curricular practical training workshops, which teach international students how to work in the U.S. Among these other events throughout the week will be study abroad information sessions which will focus on how to make studying abroad affordable. Most of these events will teach international students how to “work on campus, off campus, have careers and stay here in the U.S.,” said Lopez.
There will also be fun activities like movie night trivia, but some events seek to combine fun with education such as dating cross-culturally. The Title IX office will participate in the discussion and provide resources.
Finally, the week will finish with the Global Village, an event where students decorate tables with items from their cultures and bring food. The participants at the tables may dress up in traditional outfits, dance or play music. At nighttime, the week will conclude with Friday Night Flights, but with an International Education Week theme.
“We’re going to have flags and internationally themed music. We’re going to try to have some dishes that are not just from American culture but other cultures as well. We’re going to have board games and other games such as dominoes, lotteria, Chinese checkers,” said Lopez.
Lopez hopes that those who come to the events during International Education Week will walk away with a more worldly view and an open-minded approach to cultures different from their own.
“I would hope that people not only embrace their own culture but share awareness of it. But for those who may not have an open mind, those who don’t understand or don’t know, for them to learn about other individual’s cultures. Learn about our differences and how we can embrace them,” said Lopez.
