Posted: Tuesday, November 15, 2016 6:00 pm
The International Education Week is promoted by the state department to highlight international education within universities throughout the United States. The purpose is to combine the efforts of other colleges to provide more knowledge of other cultures. Northwest University’s International Student Service Specialist, Daniel DeWhitt has been tasked with making this International Education Week a success.
“It is a very dynamic job. Before the students even come we are contacting them. I issue the paperwork so the students get their visa. We pick them up when they get here, we advise them when they are here and we see them off when they go,” said DeWhitt.
As a planner and facilitator of International Education Week, DeWhitt unveiled several fun activities planned for this week.
Monday will be devoted to praying for the world and will be held in HSC 102 at 4:00 p.m. On Tuesday, the international students will deliver cultural lessons through stories in four different languages and will be held in Hurst 110 at 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday will be a student forum where students can engage in discussion over diversity and global issues that affect the community and will be held in Hurst 105 at 7:00 p.m. On Thursday, students will be given the opportunity to learn cultural dances and how they have the power to foster cultural understanding and will be held in Hurst 110.
Friday’s event will be an international cultural fair held in HSC Fireside at 3:00 p.m.
“We’ll have food, there is going to be a poster presentation of some the Mexican students who are studying abroad right now, so it will be a fun time,” said DeWhitt.
Working alongside DeWitt, the International Student Club at NU and a large group of international students are actively working to make this event possible.
“The International Students Club is probably the biggest contributor, especially on the cultural fair. They are helping out quite a bit and some of them are helping to lead different sessions,” said DeWhitt.
Felipe Uriel Barrios Rivera, winner of the Mexican Scholarship, is very enthusiastic to teach people about his country.
“I hope everyone studying here can learn about our culture, about what exactly Mexico is because most everyone in the world see Mexico as completely different. So one of my goals is to demonstrate to them that Mexico is one of the beautiful countries in the world,” said Rivera.
Delta Air Lines is sponsoring the international student services and is providing an opportunity to win an international plane ticket to be presented to one student at the cultural fair event.
Considering that there is a small percentage of international students at NU, the goal for the event is to promote more awareness.
“Awareness more than anything. Awareness one, that we do have 10 percent of our population that is international and that doesn’t include green card holder, duel citizen, or students that are second generation immigrants. Secondly, trying to bring more attention to international things,” said DeWitt.
Contact staff reporter at b.tapsoba16@northwestu.edu
