It is easy to get swept up in the busy weeks of college, but college is more than just attending classes. College is for students to learn and experience other cultures whether that be through textbooks, travel abroad or the Global Connections Fair.
On Thursday, April 14, from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., the Global Engagement Office hosted the annual Global Connections Fair on the quad in front of the University Center. Volunteers of the event hope that the students will expand their perspective and educate students on various cultures. According to the volunteers, the goal of the fair was to create culture sensitivity and awareness.
Emma Field, a sophomore and leader for the event, said the event aimed to include the entire Samford community.
“The Global Connections Fair represents and celebrates the international students at Samford,” she said.
Max Lattermann, an international student from Germany, said the fair also aimed to be educational.
“We hope for the students to get some insights and knowledge about cultural connections and global interactions as well as learning about other cultures,” Lattermann said. “The benefits of going are the cultural education that is very important for college students entering into a globalized world.”
The fair is a come-and-go event with various “regions” that have activities unique to that culture it represents. There were raffles, games and food all indigenous to each culture the regions represent.
Students received a passport at the entrance to the fair and visited each table to get a stamp. At the end of the regions, students put their passports into a box to win a raffle of prizes from the different regions.
“I love seeing all the different varieties of different places and seeing all the countries and regions,” Knyla Knight, a freshman enjoying the fair, said.
Freshman Lucas Thornton discussed the food and got a “taste” of different cultures along with his friends.
The Global Connections Fair was a valuable experience for students to see local businesses, teachers and individuals representing their own cultures from all around the world.
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