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From Thursday, Nov 14, to Friday, Nov. 22, the University celebrated International Education Week (IEW) with a variety of events, from cultural representation exhibits to the narration of mythologies from around the globe. IEW is an annual event organized by the Fries Center of Global Studies in conjunction with other departments to promote global learning opportunities and cultural and linguistic heritages at the University. This event is a joint initiative along with the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education.
The week kicked off with the Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) Carnival, where FLTAs from across departments came together and presented games and snacks from different parts of the world. Among the first few events were sessions on Israeli Fiction and self-care, in addition to a myriad of research and professional opportunities presented by students and faculty who had been abroad.
The program was planned by the IEW Committee in over a month. A group of students, faculty, and staff which made up the committee met every Friday. Their first two weeks included brainstorming and proposing ideas, and in the remainder of the preparation time they focused on organizing the events themselves.
“It feels important to me to organize International Education Week because I am not only apportioning my ideas, but I am also learning from others’ ideas and their respective countries and cultures,” Adriana Alfaro Liendo ’26, Global Engagement and Intercultural Learning Student Assistant, wrote in an email to The Argus. “International Education Week represents Wesleyan as a community in the sense that it is not only about the United States but more.”
The festivities continued with unique programs like “Evening of writing letters to political prisoners in Russia,” which focused on supporting political prisoners in Russia through writing both electronic and physical postcards. The week also saw South Asian and Arabic representatives showcasing exhibits to promote the cultural heritage of the many minority communities at Wesleyan. Several movies and game nights in languages including American Sign Language, Hindi, French, and Greek were also an important part of the celebrations, to ensure that entertainment was inclusive.
All these events were enjoyed by both domestic and international students who celebrated their cultural immersion and intersectionality.
“It’s amazing that we have so many events for International Education Week,” Ry De Guzman ’28 said. “These kinds of projects and events create space for us international students, and it creates more platforms for students both domestic and international to know more about the world…. It became clear to me that Wesleyan is very much an inclusive space, not just for the marginalized communities, and students of color, but also, of course, they are open to making these events accessible to all of the students, so we get to have a global perspective on our education.”
Attendees also watched performances of West African and Cup dance and ate Thai and Vietnamese food. The cup dancing involved skillful control of ceramic cups by dancers’ hands to create unique sounds that complement musical rhythm while the West African Dance aimed to highlight the rich culture of West Africa. On-campus services, such as the International Student Advisory Board, the First Generation Low Income Advisory Board, and the Center for Global Studies, were also showcased. While students enjoyed the ability to learn more about resources at the University, professors celebrated the program for its active student engagement and international academic ideas.
“Culture is a complex term and in our world, not all voices are heard equally, though they are all critical in the dialogue of how to move forward together. I am grateful that our institution is supportive of all of this nuance and embraces the complexity,” Director for Intercultural Learning Anita Deeg-Carlin said. “We also have to recognize that there will always be voices in our community that are unable to speak up and share their perspectives for various personal, political, socioeconomic, or other complicated reasons.
She went on to reaffirm the University’s year-round commitment to diversity.
“Taking a step back and considering the quiet voices are just as important as celebrating those who thankfully can speak up,” Deeg-Carlin said. “That awareness, in addition to our enthusiastic participation in IEW events, helps us represent our community as best we can.”
Raiza Goel can be reached at rgoel@wesleyan.edu.