Dorsey Way looked like the United Nations General Assembly during convo hour March 30, with so many students from different parts of the world showcasing the cultures in terms of art, custom and cuisine of their respective countries at the International Celebration Fair.

This event, which is part of the different activities for the global engagement week, a week set aside annually at the University of St Thomas to show how it engages with the world, presents an opportunity for international students and study abroad returnees to share their experiences with the university community.

“We are really excited to have the international celebration fair once again this year, it is a great showcase of all of the countries that are represented here at St. Thomas… as well as students that have studied abroad and are coming back to represent the countries that they have visited. So, it is a true integration of our international and global community,” said Lori Friedman, the Director of the Office of International Students and Scholars at St Thomas and one of the event organizers.

Priyashree Supriya, an international student from India, said she was thankful to the university for giving her the opportunity to show the culture of her country. This event, she said, made her feel more welcome on campus and in the U.S. at large. With the current wave of xenophobic sentiments in the U.S., Supriya’s statement brings some refreshing relief to a very tensed atmosphere.

Natalie Zielke, a domestic student who studied for a semester in Vienna Austria, said her experience with cultural and language barriers in Austria made her become more aware and sensitive to the same kind of barriers internationals experience in the U.S..

Keanu Daley, another international student from Jamaica, believes the event was “a great opportunity for international students to be ambassadors for their country and to get people to know more about the world outside America.”

With the University of St. Thomas ranking eighth for study abroad participation in the country and having an international student body representing 66 countries from around the world, one could say the global engagement week is a step in the right direction with respect to realizing the University’s strategic theme of Globalization and One University.