Students Will Gather to Learn About Cultures, Food and Music at International Education Week

Education students will come together to participate in Liberty University’s International Education Week, an initiative that takes place every year to celebrate the differences of various cultures around the globe.

International Education Week includes daily events spanning throughout five days. 

The week’s events will include a Global Worship Community Night, International Coffee and Tea Tasting, International Sugar Rush, Too Hot to Handle and a Lunch and Learn.

Kristina Bautista, director of the International Student Center, and Kike Caycedo, ISC operations coordinator worked together to create and organize the events of the week.  According to Bautista and Caycedo, the events show the purpose behind the ISC. 

“The goal for the events that we host this week is to show a little more of what our office is about. Not just to help international students, but to show and give our students an opportunity to show their culture,” Caycedo said. “All of our events are basically meant to show a little bit of culture from all around the world. So, it’s not just focusing on a particular culture, but focusing on a global topic.”

Bautista explained that these events are specifically chosen to show cultural variety. The worship night, for example, will allow students to worship in their language and showcase how worship differs across cultures.   

A new addition to the schedule of events this year is the Lunch and Learn event. While the ISC has held this event during previous initiatives, this is the first time it will be held during International Education Week.

Both Caycedo and Bautista shared that they began brainstorming for this week at the start of the fall semester. Considering the pandemic, they planned several opportunities to safely participate with different cultures.

“We are just making sure that we’re doing proper safety in how we are preparing food and making sure everybody is wearing masks and keeping social distance,” Bautista said. “That has just played a bigger part into this year. We have limited the activities that we’re doing and we’re just making sure everybody stays safe.”

International Education Week allows the ISC staff to work with international students and see a personal side of their culture.

“It really is a great opportunity and a privilege to work with international students and also domestic students when putting on these events because we get to learn how they do things,” Caycedo said. “It’s really cool to learn from other cultures and see everyone’s perspectives, not just yours.”

International Education Week will take place from Nov. 9 – Nov. 13 with one event held each day. 

“I just hope that they can see either a taste of home or a taste of another culture,” Bautista said.

Stephanie Haydon is a News Reporter. Follow her on Twitter at @Steph_Annice.