International Student Association hosts week for inclusion

The International Student Association at Southeast Missouri State University hosted International Week on campus last week.

The week began with International Olympics, where students from countries around the world came together to test their skills at sports like volleyball, table tennis, soccer and basketball.

"Our goal with the olympics was to bring people out to play sports, it's the best way to enjoy diversity with people," Akane Satoh, secretary of ISA, said.

The next event, International Trivia Night, was designed with the purpose of quizzing guests with questions surrounding different countries like flags, food and pastimes. Teams were comprised of students from different cultures to give each team a different perspective so they could work together to answer the cultural questions.

WOMAN UP was the next event, where female students from varying countries on campus, told their stories in a question and answer forum. The women were asked about the traditions of their country, how they adapted to the United States, what they thought versus what they found to be true after coming here, as well as some fears they had when deciding to move so far away from their homes and families.

"The takeaway from these events is that we have more in common than we do differences," Dr. Debbie Below, dean of students and vice president for enrollment management and student success, said. "I've found that all of the women have the desire to try new things, they have independence and they are strong leaders of their families and communities."

Following the WOMAN UP event, the Sri Lankan Student Association hosted "Sihanada," which showcased Sri Lankan culture by providing students with food and dancing from Sri Lanka.

The final event for Southeast's International Week was the International Festival, which featured many countries that are represented at Southeast. Each had their own booth, presenting their culture in a unique way.

Students presented on stage as well through one-minute speeches, displaying their talents and fashion. The purpose was not only to provide a look at how different each culture can be, but also to try and gain enough points to walk away as the winners of International Week.

"The basis of these events is promoting diversity, because it doesn't matter where you come from, it only matters the person that you are inside," Karen Muramatsu, president of ISA, said. "This has really given the opportunity for different students to go to different booths and talk to people from different countries and get to know them a little bit and to get to know their culture. It's really about opening your perspective about the world."

After all events were said and done, each country's score was announced.