International Students Bring the World to Bluefield
Bluefield University has 12 nationalities represented in its student body. In an effort to show the different cultures that make up the campus community, students from those 12 nationalities, under the supervision of Dr. Henry Clary, former missionary and current BU assistant professor of Christian studies, created a BU International Student Association (ISA).
“The purpose of the ISA is to let people know how big (an) international community (we have) at Bluefield University,” said Pedro Visacro, who serves as president of the ISA, “and to make sure that every international student is welcome. (The ISA) provides an opportunity to share with the community a little bit of every culture, and the main purpose is definitely to learn everyday a little bit of every culture.”
Even though the ISA is a new organization, it has already held a few events. The biggest of all took place last year during Global Education Emphasis Week, which was a success in the Bluefield community.
Visacro said the International Food Festival last year was also a huge success. The event featured international students preparing a typical meal from their country to share with the BU student body. The international students also provided presentations to share with students more about their culture.
“Almost all the continents were represented during the festival,” said Gabriel Santos, the vice president of the International Student Association, “and we had 20 countries showing a little bit more of their culture. I believe people had a lot of fun and good food.”
The next event the association will hold will be a fundraising event at Applebee’s in Bluefield, Virginia. The event is designed to raise money for other ISA events.
“On October 25, the association will be at Applebee’s, and there will be a special menu with some special meals, and 50 percent of the value of the ordered dishes will be (donated to) the association,” Visacro said.
Other events the association is planning are movie nights with films produced in other countries, lunches with international students, and the another International Food Festival.
The ISA provides an experience for international students and the entire Bluefield University community, breaking stereotypes, teaching about different cultures, and most importantly, respecting and uniting them all.
“Everyone can feel free to participate,” Visacro said. “You do not need to be an international student; you can be from the U.S. We have at least a meeting once a month. It is an opportunity to make friends and meet new people. It is much fun, and everyone who wants to share something about where they are from, please (join) us.”