November 9-14 marks the annual week-long celebration of International Education Week at NSU, which will feature events, both virtual and in person, to engage the diverse students at NSU in a celebration of culture and diversity.
“International Education Week (IEW) is a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of State to celebrate global opportunities and the exchange of diverse perspectives through international collaboration and exchange,” said Jeannie Jaworski, the director of International Affairs and the Razor’s Edge Global program.
While IEW is something that NSU embraces, it is not exclusively an NSU initiative. Most schools around the country, and even some around the world, participate in this week-long celebration of culture.
Throughout the week, NSU’s Razor’s Edge Global Scholars, the Office of International Affairs and campus-wide partners will host events that allow students to celebrate, learn and share their unique cultural backgrounds with the NSU community.
“Each year, we try to focus on events that bring all students together to learn about the different cultures at NSU [and] give opportunities for those with different cultural backgrounds to highlight their cultures and celebrate the places they call home,” said Jaworski.
Ramesh Gore, the graduate assistant for the Razors Edge Global Program and a second year graduate student at NSU, explained how IEW helps bridge the gap between domestic and international students and creates a meaningful way for students to engage in dialogue about their different cultures.
“Students should expect to be engaged, to be challenged on different topics and also to be educated… NSU has a huge population of international students and these types of events and initiatives help them feel welcome and valued in an institution where not very many people look like them,” he said.
As an international student himself, Gore expressed how impactful the celebration of different cultures can be.
“For someone like me who has been studying abroad in the U.S. for six years and getting that experience, I want to be able to reciprocate that through these events,” he said.
Similar to most events on campus this year, International Education Week has been altered to comply with local and federal guidelines in response to COVID-19. However, whether students join from home via Zoom or come out to the in-person events held on campus, for every event they attend, they will be entered into a drawing to win a $50 Amazon gift card.
“This is a time when we are all feeling a little more closed off from others, so I think it’s important to recognize at NSU, even during COVID-19, there is still wonderful cultural diversity on our campus and we still have international students who are here,” said Jaworski.
For more information and a complete list of the events, students can visit nova.edu/iew. For virtual engagement opportunities including daily recipes, cooking events and an NSU IEW filter and gif challenge, make sure to follow the Office of International Affairs and the Razor’s Edge Global Program on Instagram at @razorsedgeglobal and @nsu_international.
