Crystal Chavez / Chief Photographer
Del Mar College will host an event next month focused on learning about different cultures and making a connection with one another.
International Day will begin at 11 a.m. Wednesday April 24 in the Harvin Center, East Campus.
“Del Mar College has over 30 different nationalities on campus,” said Beverly Cage, director of the Student Leadership and Campus Life Office. “This is a great opportunity for students to see how other countries are perceived, so you can avoid being rude to somebody because that is how their culture is.”
According to the Student Government Association (SGA) Vice President Denise Mugabe, the event will showcase all the cultures of students who attend the College.
International Day will include, traditional attire and food samples from some of the different countries and a variety of information about the different cultures.
DMC used to have a Diversity and Ethnic Awareness and Training Committee that hosted the International Day event each year, but the college did not fund the committee this year, according to Cage.
Jennifer Oden, DMC English as a Second Language (ESL) instructor, and her students are working on bringing back International Day. In addition, DMC students and others have been invited to join Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi’s Parade of Nations, April 12.
International Day will allow students to visit representatives from each country and get information on the country’s people, culture and traditions.
Most international participants will provide samples of food and discuss why they eat it and others will showcase a tradition the reason behind it.
“This will be really good for our English-speaking students to experience other cultures because it is good to know about other places and how they do things in other countries,” Cage said.
