November Events Bring Scranton’s International Students to Center Stage on Campus

Multiple events run by students at The University of Scranton in November highlight the many cultures from throughout the world represented on the Jesuit campus.

The University’s United Colors Organization and the Asian Club will host the 6th Annual International Fashion Show on Saturday, Nov. 19, at 9 p.m. in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center. The show, which is free of charge and open to the public, highlights contemporary fashions as well as traditional attire from many of the 25 countries currently represented by students at Scranton.

Earlier this month, the Saudi Students Club at Scranton hosted a celebration of Saudi Arabia National Day that included a Saudi Arabian heritage exhibition, Saudi music and dance, Henna tattoos and a sampling of traditional Saudi foods. Guests were also able to try on traditional Saudi clothing.

In conjunction with International Education Week, a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide, the University hosted nearly 100 elementary school children from Prescott Elementary School, St. Stanislaus Elementary School and The Lutheran Academy at an event that introduced them to the culture and country of Japan. The program was led by Chie Fujikake, an MBA student from Japan and graduate assistant in the University’s World Languages and Cultures Department who served as a Fulbright teaching assistant at Scranton last year. The program included presentations by Moe Kojima, an international undergraduate student from Japan, Danielle Abril, a first-year student from Stroudsburg, and Jared Daniels, a sophomore from Clifford Township, as well as hands-on activities such as origami and a sampling of Japanese cuisine.

The University’s International Education Week event was sponsored by the Office of International Programs and Services. The University hosts more than 100 international students and scholars from 25 different countries, including China, India, Ireland, South Korea and Taiwan, among others.

The 6th Annual International Fashion Show will take place Saturday, Nov. 19, at 9 p.m. in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center at The University of Scranton. The show, which is free of charge and open to the public, highlights traditional attire from many of the 25 countries currently represented by students at Scranton. Scranton student Kayla Reyes of New York, New York, models an outfit from India.

Chie Fujikake, an MBA student from Japan, demonstrates the art of origami to children from the Lutheran Academy as part of the University’s International Education Week event that highlighted Japanese culture to area elementary school students. From left are: Jonathan Bonebrake, Fujikake and Malia Graham.

From left: Moe Kojima, an international undergraduate student from Japan, and Chie Fujikake, an MBA student from Japan, introduced nearly 100 area elementary school children to Japanese culture at the University’s International Education Week program.