The sweet smells of food from around the globe filled the Sage Point campus dorms during an international potluck Friday night.
The potluck was hosted by the International Student Council and the Go Global Floor of International Housing.
Each week, the ISC plans an activity in an effort designed to meet the social needs of international students. Recent activities have included a Halloween party, movie nights and a ski instruction class. The potluck Friday night was the last ISC activity for the semester.
About 40 students participated in the event, which included dancing, food tasting, drawings for prizes and a cuisine contest among all the international dishes brought to the potluck. Everything from Dominos Pizza to the contest-winning Dutch apple pie was there for students to try.
At the U, there are international students from more than 100 foreign countries. To help these students adjust to and experience the culture of Utah, the ISC tries to plan activities with other clubs and organizations at the U.
Minu Gandhi, a first-year mechanical engineering doctoral student, is a member of the ISC. She came to Utah from India to go to college.
Three years ago, Gandhi got involved in the ISC because she said she understands how difficult it can be for international students to adjust and integrate themselves in Utah culture.
“We organize different events to help the new international students get used to the campus and to their surroundings,” Gandhi said. “We don’t want them to feel they are all by themselves.”
President of the ISC Bianca Mecena, master’s student in applied linguistics, has been involved with the ISC for two years. Next semester, Bianca and the other council members will be preparing for the ISC’s biggest events: International Night and Film Week, which will take place in April.
“Everybody is welcome,” Bianca said of International Week. “Our main goal is to give students many opportunities to get involved and to have their best experience while here in the U.S.”
Kim PetersonThe sweet smells of food from around the globe filled the Sage Point campus dorms during an international potluck Friday night.