On Wednesday, Aug. 22, the Office of Global Engagement held their second annual Global Welcome Celebration on the Memorial Belltower lawn. Flags from around the world were strung up from tree to tree as tables were set up to show the different units that all fall within the reach of the Office of Global Engagement.
David Hawley, the manager of global programming, spoke about what the Global Welcome Celebration is.
“There hasn’t ever been any central event to celebrate that global diversity and welcome all of these students, because they come into different departments,” Hawley said. “We wanted to organize a central way to make sure the students know they’re welcome here at NC State and that we appreciate the diversity that they bring to campus, the perspectives that they bring to campus, and that they are a part of the Wolfpack. This is kind of our central way to do that.”
With around 1,400 new international students each semester, according to Hawley, the Global Welcome Celebration is a way to introduce these new international students to the domestic students at NC State.
Gabriella Imbasciani, a third-year pursuing international studies and business administration and global ambassador for the Office of Global Engagement, spoke about why the Global Welcome Celebration is important to have on NC State’s Campus.
“This is extremely important because a lot of the time, people don’t have time to go abroad or even out of the country,” Imbasciani said. “So this is our way of teaching them all this cultural awareness and more knowledge of the world around them, since they aren’t able to go out and experience it for themselves sometimes.”
At the Global Welcome Celebration, there was Howling Cow Ice Cream and Insomnia Cookies for all students who signed in. Global ambassadors, who are students who work for the Office of Global Engagement, were there to help the international students feel more comfortable at the event. They taught the international students how to play field games like KanJam, Spikeball and cornhole.
Lena Mikhaylova, an international student pursuing international studies, spoke about what the Global Welcome Celebration meant to her.
“It’s like understanding that there are so many people that have the same feelings as me right now,” Mikhaylova said. “They are overwhelmed, and at the same time excited, that are just here to see their flag and to get something to hold onto while adjusting.”
The Office of Global Engagement is hosting more events for both international and domestic students throughout the rest of the fall semester. To find out more information about these events, go to their website here.
