Press ReleaseCommunity members are invited to special November events at Marietta College
As a student at Marietta College, Norihiro Matsuyama ’23 (Osaka, Japan) is happy to talk with his new friends about his home country of Japan, and looks forward to the many events planned for the campus in November in celebration of Global Awareness Month.
“Contact with different cultures opens us up to new people,” he said. “If everyone was the same it would not be an interesting world. I feel good when my friend wants to know more about my culture. Sharing culture is understanding each other. If you don’t know a friend’s culture at all, the communication doesn’t work; there is a misunderstanding.”
Many of the events planned are also open to the public – and each of them are free.
This month, Marietta College has an array of special programming planned in celebration of Global Awareness Month.
“Our goal is to provide a variety of programming during Global Awareness Month that is available to the campus and Marietta communities,” said Christy Burke, Director of the Office of Education Abroad.
Her office is excited to partner with a variety of other offices and academic departments on campus to expand offerings to include lectures, cultural events and presentations from students, faculty and alumni.
“The Office of Education Abroad strives to encompass diversity and global perspective and to welcome individuals to share their culture, perspectives, experiences and traditions with the greater community and to foster a learning environment to enhance inclusivity.”
The month’s festivities begin on Friday, November 1st, with Leah Seaman ’21 (Philippi, West Virginia) presents “Art from Italy” at 4:00 p.m. in the Atrium Gallery, which is located on the third floor of Hermann Fine Arts Center. The artwork was inspired by her time studying abroad in Florence, Italy.
On November 6th, Wenjing “Shirley” Shao, a Visiting Scholar from Heibei Finance University, will introduce the campus community to Qiu Jin, a feminist writer and revolutionary who became known as China’s “Joan of Arc.” Jin was executed after a failed uprising against the Qing Dynasty and she is considered a national heroine in China.
The following day – November 7th, students have an opportunity to explore options for studying, interning and volunteering overseas during the Study Abroad Fair, which will run from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Great Room in Andrews Hall.
One of the most popular events during Global Awareness Month – the annual Multicultural Festival – will take place from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Friday, November 8th at Dyson Baudo Recreation Center.
“We had a great turnout last year and we’re looking to have that same energy this upcoming year,” said Cam Clifton, Assistant Director of Diversity & Inclusion. “The opening act will be a Native American prayer, plus we’ll have henna, performances by various groups, dances, Adinkra cloth stamping (a traditional cloth of the Ashanti people in Ghana), Korean calligraphy and plenty of food. We’ll have about 45 different tables and currently 15 countries represented.”
Chinese student YinZheng Wang ’20 (Beijing, China) will help during the festival.
“I just want to share real Chinese food (with people) because I think it’s important to learn real Chinese culture,” he said.
On November 14th, alumna Jing Cao ’14 will discuss her transition to Marietta College as a student and later as a professional who has made a life in the Marietta community with her family. This installation of the College’s Life Abroad Series will take place from noon to 1:00 p.m. in Thomas 209.
Journey Beyond Marietta will feature two returning Education Abroad students – Kaylee Lang ’22 (Stockport, Ohio), who traveled to Rome, and Kayla Tomlin ’20 (Sardinia, Ohio), who traveled to Spain -sharing their travel stories. The presentations will begin at 4:00 p.m. in Thomas Hall 209. This event is in conjunction with National/International Education Week.
Rounding out the month’s programming is the Global Entrepreneur PioPitch, which features three international chefs- Moh Basir and Bambang Sutanto of Tokyo Thai Sushi Hibachi, and Emad Almasri of the Buckley House – offering their perspectives on entrepreneurship. Their presentations begin at 4:00 p.m. in the Timothy O. Cooper Auditorium (Thomas 124).
Located in Marietta, Ohio, at the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio rivers, Marietta College is a four-year liberal arts college. Tracing its roots to the Muskingum Academy back in 1797, the College was officially chartered in 1835. Today Marietta College serves a body of 1,200 full-time students. The College offers more than 50 majors and is consistently ranked as one of the top regional comprehensive colleges by U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review, as well as one of the nation’s best by Forbes.com. Marietta was selected seventh in the nation according to the Brookings Institution’s rankings of colleges by their highest value-added, regardless of major. Marietta College has also been named a Great College to Work For two consecutive years (2018 and 2019).