It was a pleasure to attend the International & Intercultural Exchange on Wednesday, February 15. The event was put on by the College of Business at the Engagement Center in Somsen Hall. The event featured an international student panel with students from Venezuela, South Korea, Japan, China, and Malaysia. It was very interesting to learn about the differences and similarities within each country. These differences and similarities allowed me to reflect on how one’s upbringings may influence one’s thoughts. The International & Intercultural Exchange allowed everyone to think deeply about diversity.
The main take away that I have from the event is to strive for more diversity in my life. After the event I had the opportunity to speak with José Rafael Perozo Locurcio from Venezuela, Yen Lee from Malaysia, Honggun Cho and Jeongha Song from South Korea. We were able to chat about sports, graduation dates, future plans, and what our favorite courses were. This conversation was just like any other.
I challenge everyone at Winona State University to have the courage to say hello to someone they don’t know. Create your more by learning about other perspectives, which may be similar or different from yours. The International & Intercultural Exchange event created this opportunity for me; I hope you will seek out a similar opportunity.
Nick Schroeder Data Science Senior