The third week of November marks International Education Week, a time when universities across Canada celebrate international integration into their campus communities.
St. Thomas University marked the week through an event at the Wall of Flags in James Dunn Hall, where the university put up the flags of the countries represented in its student population.
Domestic students and international students came together to commemorate multiculturalism.
Carrie Monteith-Levesque, STU’s international student coordinator, said the event represents unity among students. She said international students whom she spoke to really enjoyed the flag ceremony.
“We’re very happy with the turnout for the flag ceremony. A lot of international students, faculty, staff and domestic students turned out for the event, which was really special,” she said.
Elize Davila, an international student from Trinidad and Tobago, attended the flag ceremony for the first time in person. She said the week is important for international students to learn about the resources available to them on campus and in New Brunswick.
“It was nice that it was done in the middle of JDH, which is very much a student hub,” she said, noting that she felt the event builds community.
Another event used to mark International Education Week was the information session on international exchange trips, which Monteith-Levesque said was “highly attended.”
“It’s a really great opportunity for both international and domestic students to come together and see the value of the importance of international education and how international students can enrich our campus and our classroom experiences overall,” she said.
The St. Thomas University Students’ Union did not host any events for International Education Week, but International Representative Khanh Hoang said the union is acting as a support to the international office and STUISA.
The goal is to help the school recognize and welcome both full-time and exchange international students.
“That has been nice to hear because it’s important that everybody, especially international students, feel related to the event that we are having,” Hoang said.
