From May 2 to 6, SCC’s International Student Leaders (ISL) hosted a week of events to promote cultural understanding and inclusivity. Monday-Wednesday featured international students Michel, Angie and Solip sharing the traditional food and clothing from their respective countries: Benin, Indonesia, and Cambodia. They also shared day-in-the-life style videos about their experiences as SCC students, showing future international students what to expect.

On Thursday, ISL led a U.S. culture chat via Zoom that focused on idioms and expressions unique to American culture. After the discussion, international student representatives shared some idioms from their own cultures.

On Friday, an in-person event with crafts and trivia took place. Participants painted flags from different countries onto wooden ornaments while discussing their different cultures.

“Gaining understanding of different cultures brings people together. It is important to learn about each other so we can be connected,” said Wingate Mavu, an ISL member. The atmosphere was friendly and open as attendees discussed their cultures and homes.

The chill introspective crafting stood in stark contrast to the intensely competitive trivia contest that followed. Interesting facts about countries all over the world were presented in a quiz show format. The international snacks that were at stake ended up being split among all participants regardless of who won the competition.

All-in-all, ISL hosted an incredibly successful week of events that fostered connectedness and understanding. Keep a look out for what they have planned next.