On Friday, April 1 from 6 to 9 p.m., the third annual International Festival and Emory World Cup will take place on McDonough Field. Hoping to bring together the Emory community to celebrate the campus’ incredible cultural diversity, the event will incorporate international foods, musical and dance performances, giveaways and a soccer tournament, according to the Office of International Student Life’s (OISL) website.
Last year, over 700 people attended, in addition to the 24 co-ed soccer teams that participated in the tournament, according to the event’s website. There were also numerous musical and dance groups, as well as over 30 organizations representing various global identities.
The event hopes to continue the previous level of turnout this year. Student groups including Taiwanese American Student Association (TASA), German Culture Club, Brazilian Student Association (BRASA) and Emory Students for Israel are just several of the 22 organizations that will host tables. Additional organizations are expected to sign up to participate as the date of the event approaches.
College junior Stellina Lee will host a table for service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega (APO) at the event.
“I resonate strongly with celebrating cultural diversity since I am an international student,” Lee said. “I have felt that embracing my own identity while learning and celebrating different perspectives has been one of the best parts of my Emory experience.”
College junior Jennie Sun is a member of the advisory board of OISL that planned the International Festival.
“I believe it is important for Emory to celebrate cultural diversity, because having cross-cultural relationships and a level of understanding about each other builds strong, open-minded students who can cooperate and make a positive impact on our campus,” Sun said.
The soccer matches will be featured in the middle of McDonough Field, with multiple student-run tables surrounding the soccer competition. Each soccer team will be composed of four players, and there must be at least one male player and at least one female player on each co-ed team. Because soccer is a sport that is popular not only among Emory community members but also internationally, the event is “physically centered” around the soccer competition, according to OISL’s website.
“[Events like this can] bring awareness, deepen understanding and open minds to the beauty that is found in other cultures,” Director of International Student Life Natalie Cruz said. “Through this event, you truly can explore the world at Emory.”
In case of rain, the event will be relocated to the Woodruff Physical Education Center (WoodPEC) gym.
Michelle Lou (19C) is from Irvine, Calif., majoring in political science and minoring in East Asian studies. She previously served as copy chief, news editor and executive editor. She won first place in the 2017 Georgia College Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest in the category Best News Article Based on Investigative Reporting for her coverage of the Spring 2017 student government elections. Outside the Wheel, she is an undergraduate research fellow at Emory’s Center for Law and Social Science; a member of Phi Eta Sigma, Omicron Delta Kappa and Pi Sigma Alpha; and an avid snorkler. She has interned at USA TODAY's copy desk and HuffPost's breaking news team.
This is a positive event because being an international student isn’t easy, given our complex culture and language. Assistance must come from numerous sources to aid these young people embarking on life’s journey. A new award-winning worldwide book/ebook that reaches out to help anyone coming to the US is “What Foreigners Need To Know About America From A To Z: How to Understand Crazy American Culture, People, Government, Business, Language and More.” It is used in foreign Fulbright student programs and endorsed worldwide by ambassadors, educators, and editors. It also identifies “foreigners” who became successful in the US and how they’ve contributed to our society, including students.
A chapter on education explains how to be accepted to an American university and cope with a confusing new culture, friendship process and daunting classroom differences. Some stay after graduation. It has chapters that explain how US businesses operate and how to get a job (which differs from most countries), a must for those who want to work with/for an American firm here or overseas.
It also has chapters that identify the most common English grammar and speech problems foreigners have and tips for easily overcoming them, the number one stumbling block they say they have to succeeding here.
Most struggle in their efforts and need guidance from schools’ international departments, immigration protection, host families, concerned neighbors and fellow students, and informative books to extend a cultural helping hand so we all have a win-win situation. Good luck to all at Emory or wherever you study!