LSU’s Office of Global Affairs held International Education Week last week to promote greater awareness of international cultures and customs among students.
Daniela Chu-Rodriguez is the director of international student engagement at the LSU Office of Global Engagement. She said that LSU has been running International Education Week for over a decade now and emphasizes the importance of university students learning about their broader international impact.
“I think it’s important to the whole country, just because there’s so much power in colleges and universities,” Chu-Rodriguez said. “They are hubs for change in any community that they’re a part of, and to celebrate the power that international education brings into colleges and universities, it is really pivotal for us, particularly because we do have almost 2,000 international students on our campus.”
The National Association of Foreign Student Advisors, an association of international educators, created International Education Week. It is held annually by the U.S. State and Education departments. NAFSA is the world’s largest nonprofit promoting international education with professionals globally.
Chu-Rodriguez stressed the importance of multiculturalism in the university setting. An example of this was the use of Louisiana-grown rice in the Thankful Global Village Festival on Tuesday. Supreme Rice, a Louisiana-based company, was provided to international student associations to be used in their cultures’ cuisines.
The Sri Lankan Student Association prepared milk rice with caramelized onions in a sambal sauce. The Vietnamese Student Association prepared cơm tấm, a grilled pork and steamed rice dish served with a fish sauce. The West Indian Student Association prepared Haitian rice and beans and the Indian Student Association prepared chicken biryani.
Oz Redmond, a natural resource ecology and management sophomore, went to the food festival with his friend group.
“I really liked how everything was rice based,” Redmond said. “I love rice. And I tried each food stand even if I didn’t know how it would taste. I really enjoyed the stand selling the rice and beans. It was my favorite and had such good flavor.”
Also at the festival was a table of spices from around the world. Some options included za’atar from the Levant region of the Middle East, ground chili powder from South and Central Americas and cinnamon, which originates from Sri Lanka.
“When I’m making food I love to try different spices, Redmond said. “I also am wary about buying a spice if I never personally tried it, so I like how I can take a little with me for free to try. And seeing all the spices laid out gave me recipe ideas honestly.
Interviews for the Global Ambassadors Program happened during the week. GAP is an interdisciplinary initiative program, where the deans of each academic college nominate a handful of students. One of the nominated students is from each college then chosen for the opportunity to go to West Africa. This year, GAP is going to Senegal during spring break.
Other ways that students learn are through various study abroad opportunities. During International Education Week, students could go to a peer adviser in Hatcher Hall to discuss their study abroad plans. Amber Makosky, a freshman environmental engineering major, is one of those advisers.
“Study abroad is an amazing experience,” Makosky said. “You get the chance to go abroad and experience other countries and other cultures while also continuing on your academic journey. A lot of students love to put that on their resume; it’s a great resume builder just to see that they’re putting themselves out there.”
Study abroad opportunities vary in time commitments and who leads the program. Makosky said the difference lies in the price per semester and who students would pay. In year- and semester-long exchanges, the student would pay tuition to the university they are studying abroad at, while LSU would receive tuition for the faculty-lead opportunities.
On Friday, the Global Community Center collaborated with the International Student Association to hold a Cultural Night. Traditional American Thanksgiving foods were served, like turkey, mac and cheese and green beans. Traditional New Orleans-style bread pudding was served for dessert.
Maganizo Kapita is a doctoral student working towards a mathematics degree and an orientation leader for the Office of Global Affairs. He attended the Cultural Night, along with other events from the week. He said that the turkey was what he was most excited for, calling it delicious and beautiful.
Kapita said his favorite part of the week were the connections students were able to make with each other.
“This week is the richness that LSU brings [to international students],” Kapita said. “Just appreciating that LSU is able to bring all these people together from different parts of the world, and appreciating each other and showcasing each other’s cultures, that has been the climax of my week.”
