As an international student, homesickness never truly leaves you alone. It may creep in when you’re asked where you’re from, when telling your friends how long your flight is or when the references your peers make go right over your head.
On Feb. 13, on the second floor of Roberts Pavilion at Claremont McKenna College, “The World Meets at 7Cs” created a space for international students to come together and celebrate their countries and regions under one roof. With home-cooked pastries, lively music and student-run booths representing over 30 countries, students were able to connect to one another through their shared experiences and alleviate that homesick feeling.
The event was hosted by the International Student Community Programming Council, which aimed to immerse the Claremont Colleges students in the international scene through an exciting afternoon of multiculturalism. Taivna Mills, the assistant dean of students for International Student Services and Academic Support at CMC, highlighted that international communities deserve recognition, especially in light of recent events.
“It was our hope that the event would provide another opportunity for the international community to connect to one another, and to provide reassurance to our international students and immigrant communities that they are seen, valued and supported,” Mills said. “We are so grateful that so many students shared their culture, talents and hearts with us during this event.”
Throughout the event-planning process, organizers were cognisant of and motivated by recent turmoil regarding international students’ visa status in the United States, and a general rise in xenophobic discrimination. Mills also noted that while a single event isn’t enough to counter the prejudices international students face, these initiatives are essential to creating an increasingly inclusive environment.
“We hope that highlighting and celebrating our students at the festival helps counteract some of the negative actions and narratives that we have seen and experienced,” Mills said. “We recognize that one event is not enough.”
The venue proved to be exactly this: A space where students walked past displays, traditional clothing and flags lining rows of tables, eager to embrace diversity beyond the pastries dusted with sugar and the carefully arranged trays of dolma. The festival fostered a lively atmosphere of international conversation and community, and allowed students to showcase their cultural food and traditions with the student body.
For Mai Höglund, PO ’28, who represented Finland, preparing the booth felt very rewarding.
“It was good fun,” Höglund said. “I definitely enjoyed baking the food and making it with my friends and being able to share Finnish culture.”
The festival offered significant visibility for international students and allowed others in the 5C community to gain insights into a little piece of their home.
“I’m very proud of my country,” Höglund said. “I think it’s a nice time to be able to see just how many people from different countries there are at the 7Cs. You don’t always realize there are so many people from all over the world. It’s a great way to see that.”
At the Armenian booth, Kalia Manayan PO ’28 described a similar sense of affirmation. Coming from a large Armenian community at home, she noted how meaningful it was to see her identity represented publicly on campus.
“The diversity and even just the coming together on campus and among the students are important,” Manayan said.
While cultural pride and community were central themes, both Höglund and Manayan shed light on an agreement made amongst students: Food draws people in.
“I feel like it’s the most obvious,” Manayan said. “Everyone’s been talking about what foods to bring. I think that’s the best part. Sharing cultural foods.”
Even from the perspective of students born in the United States, such events are crucial in promoting diversity. Sakeenah Abraham PO ’29 was on site and expressed her appreciation for the fair, suggesting it be held biannually so international communities receive greater exposure.
“I got to mingle with a bunch of different cultures, and it helped me learn a lot about the international community that we’re building here,” Abraham said.
The event offered a glimpse into the kind of community students are actively shaping together, one built not only on shared spaces but on shared cultures.
As students filtered out of Roberts Pavilion finishing the final bites of baklava, empanadas, lumpia and jollof rice, what remained was something enduring: the fact that international students are not peripheral to campus life. They are central to it.
Check out the multimedia piece by TSL editors Bianca Mirica and Isabella Leyton to get real footage and interviews with presenters and student attendees!