GCSU’s International Club hosted its annual “International Fest” on Wednesday, Oct. 23, on front campus. The event showcased the different countries represented by international students at GCSU.
“We have a large amount of international students, and I’ve gotten to work close hand with a couple of them through my seminars with the freshman international students, so it’s been really cool to learn about them,” said Lily Harris, a sophomore English major. “ I feel like it’s just a way to culture yourself in a way that not all colleges get to, ’cause not all colleges offer international programs.”
The Fest opened with a presentation of flags, during which each international student introduced themselves, their country and a fun fact associated with their country. Once the introductions concluded, the international students, as well as other GCSU organizations/clubs, started tabling for their respective countries.
Students, faculty and locals had the opportunity to walk around to each table, ask questions and learn something new about a country. Each international student’s table had a poster board that included pictures and information relating to their country, food/snacks or objects they brought from home.
“I feel like learning about other people’s cultures helps us come together more,” said Talia Nichols, a senior English major. “For me, I’ve never been out of the country, so learning about a different culture kind of makes me wanna go outside the country to see all these nice places and try different foods and drinks.”
The tabling displayed 25 countries, including Australia, Peru, Spain, Germany, France, Zambia, Italy, South Korea and more.
For this event, the GCSU International Club collaborated with the Student Government Association (SGA) which hosted a coffee and hot cocoa table and provided donations for the club’s giveaway. This giveaway featured cups and tote bags with the GCSU International Club’s logo and was given away to attendees who correctly answered a question drawn randomly about another country.
As well as the SGA, other student organizations participated such as the French Club, the Spanish Club, the Geography Club, GC Hillel, Delta Gamma and Phi Kappa Phi. Also present were some of the GCSU departments such as the Offices of Sustainability, Study Abroad and Student Engagement.
“We have such a great turnout of different student organizations that pull out and want to participate, that’s exciting too, that says a lot,” said Susie Ramage, international admissions counselor at GCSU.
The Fest featured music and games, like cornhole and snacks, from both the international students as well as the GCSU Student Engagement who provided popcorn. Appearances were made by the Chick-fil-A cow mascot and GCSU’s own mascot Thunder, who brought both the Bobcat school spirit as well as the Halloween spirit, dressing up in a pumpkin costume to the event.
The event concluded with a dance performed by three of the international students,
followed by a group photo to capture the international students present this semester.
The International Club aims to spread the cultures of international students to domestic students, faculty and any locals who may have attended the event. The club also intends to spread the appreciation of others while also promoting the learning of other cultures at GCSU.
“It’s the breaking down the barriers, the understanding of what it’s really like, there’s a lot of things that we have preconceived notions about,” Ramage said.
The International Club and the International Education Center continue to make students and locals aware of the importance of global education and the sharing of cultural differences, especially in the GCSU and Milledgeville communities.
“Whoever comes, whether it’s a community member, faculty or staff or student, they walk away knowing something they didn’t know before globally,” Ramage said. “Which is really important cause this generation is our future generation that can make a difference and can make a change.”
