This story was origionally published by the Arrow, Southesat Missouri State University's Campus News Organization.
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International students highlighted their cultures at one of the most anticipated international events of the year at SEMO Saturday night. Carpe-Diem is a yearly event hosted by the SEMO Office of International Education and Services. The theme this year was “A Night Under the Stars,” complete with moon and star decorations that turned the Recreation Center into a world bazaar Feb. 28, from 6 to 8 p.m.
Executive director of International Education and Services, Kevin Timlin, said the purpose behind this event is to allow international students to show off their cultures to the SEMO community.
“We're trying to bring the world to SEMO so that all of our students have a better understanding of the world around them,” Timlin said.
This event highlighted over 60 countries and allowed students to bring a little piece of their home to the college campus. A fashion show, buffet with international foods and a talent show topped off the night, allowing students and faculty to showcase their cultures.
Those attending the event experienced a trip around the world without having to leave the Semo campus. The event was open to the public and could see up to 700 people attending the event each year.
“Even with fewer international students this year, what’s really awesome is I see a lot more community members, SEMO staff, faculty and students attending this year. We’re reaching a lot more people to learn more about our international students,” Timlin said.
Students set up displays and were able to provide information about their culture and showcase their favorite things. Student-run booths offered a variety of items to look at, with everything from pottery, candy, paintings and instruments from different countries. Each booth also offered a beverage or food from their country.
The Brazil booth offered their version of a soft drink called guarana, which is only available at international markets or in the Amazon. It's a sweet drink with a fruity flavor often compared to cherry cola. The guarana plant is used in many other things too. Like energy drinks, teas and supplements, due to its natural elements of caffeine.
Bangladesh offered a variety of items from hand-paintings to braided jute bags, which are an eco-friendly alternative to plastic bags. Senior integrated and digital marketing communications major Shariqa Dashin described how excited she was to be able to share and hear about her home country.
“This is the first time I've had several people tell me they have been to Bangladesh before. So they are talking about us and wanting to visit our booth, so that is really impressive," Dashin said.
This year, the event also had interactive opportunities, from games and word trivia at several booths to a passport challenge. The passport challenge allowed people to visit each booth and receive a stamp. Once all the stamps were collected, the passport could be turned in to the International Student Association booth to claim a prize. This allowed people to interact with the booths better and learn more about each country being represented.
Freshman film major Zarain Shahwani said his favorite part of the event was getting to see all of these counties come together.
“I really just like the diversity. You get to interact with so many different countries and that's a lot of fun,” Shahwani said.
International events like this can also help students get more interested in study abroad opportunities. Professor of Management, Dr. James Caldwell, said it allows students to see what other countries have to offer.
“Most of the time people don't study abroad because they don't know all about it. Events like this spark interest and passion when people see food, fashion, dancing and music, it gives them a tiny taste of what it can be like to study abroad,” Caldwell said.
This event is one of several international events at SEMO each year. Events like this help bring better recognition to the international students, staff and faculty at SEMO and provide a better understanding of their cultures and the world.