ISSO Invites Faculty, Staff and Students to Host During Winter Break
12/10/2014
By Ed Brennen
Everything computer science graduate student Kunal Vyas knew about Thanksgiving he learned from watching American movies while growing up in India.
But as Vyas spent his first Thanksgiving in the United States serving plates of turkey and trimmings to dozens of appreciative guests at the Lowell Transitional Living Center, he gained a perspective on the holiday that dwarfed anything he’d ever seen on the big screen.
“This means a lot,” said Vyas, who spent two hours volunteering in the LTLC’s downtown kitchen along with fellow international student Ajay Kumar, a senior computer science major also from India.
Their experience was made possible by Annette Figueroa, one of six staff and faculty members who volunteered to host international students on Thanksgiving as part of a fledgling program through the International Student & Scholars Office.
“The idea is to bring them into your own home, but I wanted to step it up a notch,” Figueroa, coordinator and lab manager for the university’s Faculty Development Committee, said while helping to plate salads. “I want them to know what Thanksgiving really is about — not just stuffing yourself with turkey and watching football.”
As the university’s international student population continues to grow (topping 1,300 this year compared to approximately 300 five years ago), there are more and more opportunities for cross-cultural exchange, according to ISSO Executive Director Maria Conley.
“It has become quite a diverse campus, and this is a really nice way to help foster friendships,” said Conley, who noted that 13 students (from India, China, Iran, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, Kenya and Gambia) were paired up with faculty and staff during Thanksgiving break.
Conley hopes more faculty, staff — and even students who live locally — will consider hosting an international student during the upcoming winter break. Anyone interested in doing so can email her office for more information.
A coffee hour is tentatively scheduled for Friday, Dec. 19 (time and location to be determined), when hosts can meet the international students with whom they will be paired. Conley added that the date and duration of the hosting opportunities over winter break are completely flexible.
“It can even just be a lunch on campus or a cup of coffee,” she said.