Last night marked the second-annual International Student Association (ISA) Open House at the Mills International Center, and all parties involved were pleased with what they saw.
“What we hope for at this event is for students to make new connections and to see friendships grow stronger,” Mills International Center Coordinator Sonja Rasmussen said. “Hopefully the people who come see their window of the world open up a little bigger.”
The open house itself was a low-key affair, with a slideshow of pictures from past ISA events playing on the wall and music ranging from culture-specific tunes to the ever-popular “Rolling in the Deep” by Adele filling the room. However, the draw for those involved with the ISA isn’t to attract students with catchy tunes and food but with the prospect of new horizons and connections.
“Being involved with the International Student Association has changed the way I look at the world,” said University sophomore and Program Coordinator Nhi Dao. “When I came to the University of Oregon in 2010, I began with a double-major in economics and mathematics. After I became involved with the International Student Association during the International Student Orientation, I became very passionate about promoting cultural awareness and changed my math major to international studies.”
Dao explained that one of the main goals of events put on by the ISA and student groups associated with various ethnicities is to promote the “integration and co-mingling between international and domestic students,” and to further the cultural awareness of not only the students on campus but the faculty and employees as well. ASUO Senate President Lamar Wise attended the open house and believes that the ISA certainly makes an impact on the community.
“I really wanted to come out and support this event,” Wise said. “I found out about the international events by going to Coffee Hour every Friday here (in the Mills International Center) and just started hanging out here with friends and meeting new people. I think that the best thing newcomers here tonight could walk away with is the opportunity to interact with and get to know people from around the world.”
As the open house entered its second hour and the crowd began to thin out, there were people from all different backgrounds — Turkish to Thai, Indian to Icelandic — sitting, talking and making connections across ethnic lines that may not have existed before the event.
“What we want to see at these events really is this,” Rasmussen remarked, as she gestured to the filled chairs nearby.
“It’s a really beautiful thing, the sheer opportunity to do this,” Wise added. “I think it’s a great benefit to our diverse community.”