As November progresses, the Office of International Affairs is continuing the celebration of International Month with events taking place all around campus.
The third week of the month-long commemoration of international cultures and studies brought diverse events including a photo contest display, a passport fair and free Turkish classes.
Events for interested students are in store for the remainder of the week with activities including a tribute to Marie Curie, a study abroad symposium, a Lebanese film festival, and an international Pangaea race.
Parampreet Sekhon , an international student and a senior in mechanical engineering, said the events are beneficial for international students because they allow them to branch out and experience more.
“Since our campus has a wide variety of cultures, it’s hard to understand all of them, but international month helps and is the best way to bring them all together collectively,” Sekhon said.
The Office of International Affairs is sponsoring International Month in an effort to promote cultural awareness and diversity. Events surrounding the celebration give students the opportunity to experience elements of different international cultures and broaden their horizons.
Through the sponsored affairs, students also have the chance to learn about study abroad programs and how to make the most out of their international experiences.
Chelsea Loomis, sophomore in elementary education, said International Month is a great way for students to learn about other cultures not only in an informative way, but also with real hands-on experiences.
“We have a fair amount of international students here at State so it’s good for [the American students] to learn about the people around us, and vice versa,” Loomis said.
Loomis, who is a local student, said her mom also supports cultural awareness and plans to be a part of integrating international students into American society.
“My mom is having Chinese students over to our house for Thanksgiving dinner so they can experience how it’s celebrated in America,” Loomis said.
Learning and being open-minded about differing cultures is, according to Loomis, key in being culturally-aware and developing a well-rounded state of mind. She said the events around campus serve well for students who are interested in diversity and international cultures and those who want to meet and mingle with different people.
“I think International Month is important for many reasons but mainly because it gives more international students the chance to meet American students,” Loomis added.
Student response to the various International Month events has been good, according to the Office of International Affairs, and international students are no exception. They agree that learning about cultural diversity and awareness is vital to worldly understanding and acceptance.
Australian international student Edward Salmon, junior in mechanical engineering, said the university-sponsored events help him with socialization and meeting new people. Salmon is attending N.C . State for six months as a part of the international exchange program. His home school, the University of Technology Sydney, has a partnership with State that supports the exchange of Australian and American students for one semester.
Salmon said his biggest interest is uniting with American students and other international students like him.
“[The events] get us to be more social, more open to other people,” Salmon said.
Spending time around campus and attending International Month events has, according to Salmon, been beneficial beyond measure. He said he’s as interested in learning about various cultures and customs as American students are in experiencing cultures different from their own.
“I think it’s important to study other cultures and types of people because if not. you won’t be able to grow and develop an open mind,” Salmon said.
To support global and international education initiatives and to strengthen N.C . State’s presence in the world, the Office of International Affairs strives to provide students with the best possible cultural learning experiences.
Thursday, students can receive information about educational travel at the annual Study Abroad Symposium in Talley from 2-5 p.m . In addition, free Turkish classes will be available in Riddick from 5:30-7:30 p.m ., and the Lebanese film festival will be held in the Erdahl Cloyd Theatre in D.H . Hill library from 7-9 p.m .
For a complete list of scheduled events, students can visit the Office of International Affairs website.