UW-Stout is celebrating cultural connections during International Education Week, Nov. 15 to 19. Special events, including the return of the annual International Night Expo, will give international students and the community opportunities to connect.
All events are free and open to the public.
The Expo, hosted by the Office of International Education and the International Club, is from 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 18, at the Great Hall of the Memorial Student Center.
“International Education Week is an opportunity for our campus to bring attention to myriad ways that we can all benefit from cultural exchange,” said Danielle Clarizio, assistant director of OIE. “Our main goals for the expo are culture sharing, connection and conversation.”
Students will create displays with items representing their countries. Displays often contain images or items from home, posters, information or activities for guests to engage in. Many students will wear traditional attire and may have items that guests can try on or take photos in. There will also be intermittent live music.
In past years, guests could practice writing in the students’ languages, with students translating English names into Korean, Arabic and other languages. Students have also shared traditional tabletop games, henna and spice tasting.
There was no expo last year because of COVID-19, and with travel being difficult over the last 18 months, Clarizio hopes the expo gives people in Menomonie the opportunity to connect across cultures.
“This event has historically been very popular with our international students, Stout and Menomonie communities,” she said. “We hope that people are as excited to reconnect with our students as we are to connect with them.”
There are 145 international students from 39 countries enrolled at UW-Stout this year.
More cultural opportunities
Study abroad students and prospective study abroad students are invited to meet current exchange students at an International Coffee Hour on Monday, Nov. 15, from 4 to 5 p.m. in Harvey Hall, room 55.
OIE is also hosting back-to-back student presentations on the countries and cultures of Tunisia and Pakistan, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 16, in MSC Ballroom B.
The three presenters from Tunisia are studying at UW-Stout as part of the U.S. State Department-sponsored Thomas Jefferson Scholarship Program. And the four presenters from Pakistan are through UGRAD-Pakistan. Both programs are administered through IREX, the International Research & Exchanges Board.
International Education Week is a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education to promote programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn and exchange experiences.
The International Club serves to build bridges between UW-Stout’s international students and the community.
