By Emilia Mercado
Last week Tennessee Wesleyan celebrated its first International Day since the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2019. Spanning most of the day, the event was a hit amongst students and a way to bring a long-lost tradition of celebrating international students and TWU’s diversity back to campus.
Dr. Augustin Bocco, Associate Professor of French and Francophone Students and Coordinator of International Student Services was in charge of International Day and due to his enthusiasm for the event as well as the willingness of the campus members, many students attended the event and there were many booths that were hosted by both students and faculty members.
TWU community explores International Day exhibits made by students, faculty, and staff.
“It had been two years since we had International Day because of COVID, so it was very exciting to finally be able to do it again,” said Dr. Ana Barrios, Assistant Professor of Spanish, “Dr. Bocco is in charge of these activities. Basically, he asked people from the International Club or different faculty members like me to set up tables and offer different things like decorations, food, and other items people have that are typical from their countries.”
Since Tennessee Wesleyan has an abundance of diversity on campus, International Day has been a long-time tradition, “The International Day here is a tradition. It’s an event to show the community that we are part of a global community. No community, no university, or no country leaves on their own island. We are all connected and part of a global community, so that’s what we try to do here in Athens as well,” said Dr. Bocco, “you may think this university is small, yet we have a lot of international students that have come from all over the world to study here. We have between 25 and 30 countries represented on this campus, so it tells you that this campus is rich when it comes to people, when it comes to culture, and when it comes to diversity. This is one of the reasons why we put together a day like International Day.”
I just like the people there. They’re super friendly and welcoming and the food is really good if you haven’t tried any of it before. My favorite food is a dish called poutine, which is fries, gravy, and cheese. -Olivia 
My parents live here so it’s just a better opportunity for me. Y’know just come over here get your education and I’m thinking of going back and doing some field work in volunteer hours. -Micaela (right) 
My favorite thing about the Black Student Union is it makes me feel like I’m accepted here at Tennessee Wesleyan because there are people like me here. -Destiny (left) 
My favorite thing about Denmark is all the freedom we have like the free healthcare system, the free elder care system, all of those things. -Malane
The food at International Day was great, but the students running the booths were the real heart of the event. Most of the students running the booths were international students and each person had an interesting tidbit about their home country that they were eager to share to everyone that came to the event. “I love the carnivals in Spain and the fires in Tenerife as well as the building and beach in Barcelona,” said Claudia a TWU student from Spain. “My favorite aspect of Haitian culture is the family aspect,” said Joelle, a Haitian dual-enrollment student at TWU, “We’re all pulled up together and united and that’s really important to me.”
Many of the International Students expressed their joy of being able to study at TWU as well. “It’s always been a dream to play golf here just because of the warmer weather and I can play golf year-round without being stuck in the snow,” said Olivia, a TWU student from Canada. “I like a lot of things at TWU. The activities, the clubs, getting involved in campus and just walking around. It’s just beautiful,” said Micaela, a senior at TWU from Guatemala.
Overall, this year’s International Day was an undeniable success and it brought back a piece of celebration that students had missed out on in the last few years. “It’s a way to honor our students and also to honor our host culture,” said Dr. Bocco. “We have a great diversity on campus, and I think it’s a great thing to recognize and celebrate that,” said Dr. Barrios.
Video by Dasha Varner
Editing by Braxton Turner
Editorial Assistance by Bella Fricks
Photos by Emily Baker and Tiffany Pace
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