International day helps foreign students adjust

     There are 105 international students attending GCSU and the school helped them feel right at home with eleventh annual International Week on Oct. 22 to 26. The theme of this year’s International Week is “The World Comes Together at Georgia College.” It was sponsored by the International Education Center.
     International Week is one of the most important events at GCSU. It is held every year in the fall semester.
     As our President noted during the fall 2007 University Convocation, preparing our students to lead globally as well as locally is a component of the new University System strategic plan.
     As a result GCSU puts a lot of effort on building the international education on campus, ranging from recruiting international faculty, international students, setting up Casa Mondo, the international residential learning community, and setting up study abroad programs.
     However, according to freshman Daniel Moss, one of the residents in the Casa Mondo learning community and member of the international club thinks not many American students at GCSU have realized this great opportunity our school has provided for us and try to take advantage of it.
     Moss, the chair of the publicity of International Day, was surprised by the attendance at this year’s international day held on Oct. 25.
     “International day had a big turn out, much bigger than expected. The day provided me with some experience in leadership, and all the tables were nicely done. From what I saw, everything was very well put together.”
     On the International Day, international students displayed tables for their countries and there were international games on the Front Campus. Moreover, there were performances from all over the world.
     “I like International Day. It gives me the chance to share my culture with others, and it also provides me the chance to learn many other cultures around the world as well,” sophomore Maggie Irungu, an international student from Nairobi, Kenya, said.
     As for the significance of the date, International Day is a national observance.
     “A highlight of the GCSU International Week, International Day celebrates and showcases the diversity we have represented on campus and provides an stimulus for discussion on global issues,” associate director and International Student adviser of International Education Center Libby Davis said. “We hold this event during this time in October to coincide with United Nations Day, recognizing the founding of the United Nations.”
     On International Day, there were several hundreds of guests, including elementary students, middle school students and high school students from the Baldwin County community. Moreover, senior visitors from the community and several visitors from the Georgia Academy of the Blind stop by to enjoy the festivities.
     International Week events do not only benefit GCSU but also the Milledgeville community, even the Baldwin County.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Nov 1 2007. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry