On Friday, January 20th, the International Student Peer Network (ISPN) and the Council of Graduate Students in Education (CGSE) hosted our first SOE International Festival along with the Saudi Students House at Pitt and the School of Education student and careers service (SCS) who helped to co-sponsor. Domestic and international students were invited to share and enjoy their cultures through national food, traditional clothes, cultural artifacts, etc.
The colloquium room became an International Fair with exotic drinks, savory treats, international handicrafts, foreign festival decorations, books telling cultural stories from 6 countries, and pizza from a Pittsburgh local store! Graduate students within and outside the School of Education, faculty members, and staff got a chance to learn from their peers about distinctive traditions, cultures, and games: Saudi coffee, dates, Garth and Thoup (dress robes in Saudi Arabia); a blanket carrying the significant meaning of growth and wealth from Lesotho; homemade dessert by a Jordan student; books introducing Domenic Republic; foods, red lanterns, couplets, and game Mahjong for Lunar New Year in China. Participants were able to touch and try things from diverse cultures, talk and socialize with students who come from different countries, play Mahjong games and win “Wheel the Fortune” prizes provided by CGSE.
The ISPN welcomed students to this International Festival to celebrate the new semester, and the team looks forward to hosting more joyful events and seeing everyone again in the new year!
By Yue Geng, Jackie Spiezia,, and Yuan Gao