The cafeteria’s menu on Monday included egg foo yung, mandarin chicken salad, and a curry bar. These ethnic food dishes were a part of Cultural Awareness Day, an event annually hosted by the International Student Association (ISA).
The ISA worked with Steve Rall, general manager of the cafeteria, and Ivan Chung, director of International Student Services to coordinate some of today’s events, all of which were planned to celebrate the various cultures on Biola’s campus.
“We’re trying to mix it all up and be diverse,” said Avina Khianti, one of the two social board chairs for the ISA.
Khiatani sat at a table outside of the cafeteria that has free henna art and a station where students can create and eat their own dumplings.
“We want to give people a glimpse of what goes on around the world,” said Khiatani, who grew up in Hong Kong.
This multicultural glimpse included a globally aware chapel message, a movie night screening two foreign films, and of course the henna and dumplings table, which was crowded with eager participants.
“I like the feeling of henna on my skin,” said Marta Rivera, a freshman nursing major, as henna designs were drawn onto her wrist.
“It should happen more often,” she said of Cultural Awareness Day, and notes the importance of exposing different cultures to Biola students.
Josi Hwang, president of the ISA, was also enthusiastic about the ISA’s role in celebrating the cultures on Biola’s campus.
“We build a place where international students can come, build a community, and find a home away from home,” Hwang said, discussing the ISA’s mission statement.
This “home away from home” is important at Biola—a campus that has 350 full time international students, according to Ivan Chung, ISS (International Student Services) director. This number doesn’t include American MKs (missionary kids) or TCKs (third culture kids), populations that are also catered to by the ISS and the ISA though they aren’t officially international.
“It’s all kind of a state of mind rather than a U.S. government classification,” Chung says, pointing out why TCKs and MKs consider themselves international.
Cultural Awareness Day was aimed at more than these international students, and the day’s events were well received by American and foreign students alike.
“Cultural Awareness Day was fun and interesting,” said senior Marshall Bang. “People can get food and henna and talk to rad international students!”
