Groups gathered on Cougar Walk for Wednesday's night market. Photo credit: Kimberly Smith
Various mission teams, on-campus organizations and international student programs offered students a wide variety of cultural foods at Wednesday’s ISS Night Market in honor of APU’s International Student Awareness Month, celebrated every March.
The event aimed to raise awareness of the different on-campus international groups while showcasing different international cuisines. The booth set up by the mission team heading to Japan in the summer sold Yakisoba noodles. The International Chapel Programs group, Ohana, sold Japanese curry and Thai tea with boba at their booth.
“The purpose of the event is to showcase their home foods and crafts to show the campus you don’t have to go far to get these things,” said senior psychology major Glen Ilagan, an International Student Scholars programming intern.
ISS, which hosted the event, is in charge of promoting international student awareness on campus through events, crosscultural programs and International Chapel.
“Our
office is responsible for international student care and and raising
awareness of the global student population here on the APU campus,” said ISS Assistant Director Vijay Jacob.
International student programs at the event included Ohana Groups and American International Mentoring Program. These groups allow students to build crosscultural friendships with one another.
Also in attendance were on-campus organizations like Third Culture Network.
“We have a lot of students that are a part of the International Center, so they asked us to be a part of Night Market,” said Korean Fellowship President Kristen Bae, a sophomore business administration major.
Mission teams for Kenya, Peru, Portugal and India also sold homemade and store-bought food to fundraise.
“We will be working with children at an after-school care there and we will be teaching them English and about the Bible,” said Peru mission team member Erin Ganley, a sophomore communication studies major.
IsAM began three years ago and includes events like FUSION: Global Cooking Challenge, Flags of the World, Taste of the World Week in 1899 Dining Hall and International Women’s Day.
“We felt there was a need for the general or larger APU student general body to find out about the nations that are here and now,” Jacob said.
Students interested in signing up for international student programs can stop by the International Center, located on East Campus near One Stop.