New Mexico State University’s International Club hosted its third annual Around the World festival Sept. 16, celebrating diversity and culture this Mexican Independence Day with fun, food, and performance on campus. The event, put together by students encompassing over a dozen different nationalities and cultures, brought a piece of every corner of the world to NMSU.
The International Mall hosted tabling events which displayed flags, heirlooms, and cultural dress, leading to the luncheon providing free cultural food for students and staff. After, performances were held in the Corbett Center Student Union Auditorium. There, members were able to showcase their home-countries via presentation, dance, and traditions performed for the crowd.
Jesus Soto, member of the International Club, shared that one of the goals behind the event was allowing NMSU students to communicate and learn from one another.
“We had Nigeria, Togo, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Argentina, Colombia, a lot of countries. And it’s just for people to stop by and talk to them, to learn from other countries,” Jesus said.
With so much happening on campus daily, many students may navigate school life without knowing the larger community they can relate to and share experiences with. Ana Soto, another member of the club shared that her experience was part of her reason for joining.
“I’m from Mexico, so I just wanted to be more comfortable around campus,” Ana said. “[The event]’s helping everyone to get to know that there’s more people besides Americans.”
Throughout the year, the International Club will host different events and contests for the NMSU community such as Holi, Lunar New Year, and Dia de los Muertos, providing a space for students to celebrate traditional holidays that may not be celebrated widely across the Las Cruces community.
Its members include a mix of international students and those simply interested in sharing and learning about different cultures.
Rebeca Portillo, President of the International Club shared that events like these are crucial to developing culture on campus and giving international students a space to connect.
“The international students are showing what their culture is. So it’s…not only networking, but also learning about other cultures, knowing that NMSU is a diverse community,” Portillo said. “And also, for American students to learn…we had 15 or 16 countries [displayed at] Around the World. So, they were learning about all of those in just their school.”
Along with displaying culture, Portillo said the club provides a safe space for international students at NMSU.
“The major goal for the International Club is just uniting all the international students, creating a safe space for them, [and] a space they can relate to [each other’s] struggles, and to find other friends that can help them to thrive during their process here at NMSU.” Portillo said.
Through the hard work of its members, the international club has grown to encompass and garner support among various on-campus programs, such as the Latin America Programs, Black Programs, Education Abroad, and the Associated Students of NMSU.
“I think in this time, it’s crucial to learn about diversity…a lot of students, they just go to different states, but going to a university that provides that international view, it opens up a lot of doors.” Portillo said.
Concluding the event, Portillo and Jesus agreed that the club hopes to encompass more students and cultures during future events.
“For future events I would say have more people and more countries involved in this [festival],” Jesus shared. “Because our goal was to have at least thirty tables of different countries. We didn’t meet that goal this year, but we hope for next year [to] have that goal.”
Portillo added that she hopes to include more events beyond the Around the World festival.
“I know that the Indian Students Association does Holi, but we would like to partner up with them to create other events,” Portillo said. “And in the future, we could have even a convention of all international students, [including] from other states or even New Mexico.”
Members of the International Club work hard to build community and share culture throughout the year. Students interested in attending events or joining the club can learn more on their Instagram or join meetings every Thursday 5:30 p.m., in Otero Room, Corbett Center.
