Stewart Theatre hosted the Think and Do in 2: Global Storytelling Competition on Wednesday, showcasing two-minute presentations from students that focus on traveling and global knowledge. Through six-picture slides and limited time, contestants illustrated their experiences studying abroad or coming to NC State as an international student.
Presentations were not limited to speeches; they also included songs and poems. This year’s competition featured eight contestants from various backgrounds.
Kiyana Harris, the winner of the competition and a graduate student studying physiology and poultry science, presented a poem about her travel to Belize in the Study Abroad program. Her presentation “Bronx to Belize” encompassed her experiences of being a medical intern, visiting ancient ruins, eating local food and connecting with local children.
Ahmed Mashal, the second runner-up, and a senior from Syria studying chemistry, spoke of how he considers America to be his home and of the encouragement he has received since moving here.
Second runner-up Bhavika Mittal, a SKEMA graduate from India student studying financial markets and investments, told her story of traveling to Paris and then the United States. Diversity played a large role in the creation of her presentation, “Diversity to Unity.”
“Being in this university where you can always relate back to your own culture, but find people with so many diverse [backgrounds], and you meet them every day, and you learn something new everyday reminds you that life is so much more,” Mittal said.
Paola Centola, a SKEMA graduate student from Italy studying finance, shared her experiences of moving to the United States at a young age and how they paralleled her grandmother’s experiences in the 1940s. She emphasized the value of travel in getting an education.
“I wanted to give people a message that traveling isn’t just having fun,” Centola said. “It’s growing up.”
Some presentations approached traveling and tradition in unique ways. Spondon Kundu, a graduate student from India studying electrical engineering, captured the audience by personifying the subjects of his pictures in his presentation, “A Peek through the Pinhole.”
He created conversations between two birds on a wire, or between two traffic lights on Hillsborough Street during Packapalooza. Brendali Carrillo, a graduate student from Peru studying parks, recreation and tourism management, performed an a cappella version of an original song about a traditional ceremony from Peru in her presentation, “New Year’s Eve in June.”
Alexa Shook, sophomore studying business management also visited Peru, but approached her presentation, “Different is Beautiful,” from a different angle. She shared anecdotes of spending her nights on the beach, making new friends and finding familiarity in a foreign country.
Destinee Gray, a senior studying English and creative writing, shared her experiences traveling abroad in London and how she fell in love with the city in her presentation, “A Tale of My First Time.”
As the second global storytelling competition hosted at NC State, this event was part of a larger university initiative to educate students about diversity and international education.
“International services has been a big partner, and I think the Study Abroad Office has been pushing it as well,” said Paul Nolan, student body president, a senior studying materials science and engineering, and moderator of the event. “It’s all part of an international educational month that the university is having right now.”
At the end of the event, audience members voted for their favorite presentation and determined the winner, first runner-up and second runner-up. The prizes for the winners included $150, $100 and $50 respectively, and a general sense of unity among their peers.
“Every single story of the eight was so different than the last, so even though we had students from the same home countries, everyone had a very distinctly different experience abroad,” Nolan said. “It’s so cool to see everyone’s different perspectives on what they learned, what they took away and the kind of message that they wanted to send the audience tonight.”
