Northwest College celebrates diversity

Did you know there are most likely more students from Turkmenistan at Northwest College than any other American post-secondary school?

Did you know our local college has students from countries as diverse as Japan, the Netherlands, Brazil and Uzbekistan?

NWC boasts the most international students of any community college in the state at around 100, and this spring semester the college has been showing off that internationality so well.

The college has been hosting international lunches, prepared by international students, each Wednesday and tea times each Tuesday to try teas from countries around the world.

There have also been events to highlight specific countries further, such as a Discover Argentina lunch at noon today and, last Tuesday, a lunch tied with a visit by one of Turkmenistan’s top diplomats at the embassy in Washington, D.C.

As someone who has always been interested in world history and geography — I’ll occasionally flip through atlases for fun — the Turkmenistan talk was enlightening and I regretted not being able to stay for the traditional Turkmen meal of rice, meat, soup and flatbreads.

I’ve been so happy to see how much the college has embraced its popularity as a school for international students and shares this wide array of cultures.

So hopefully you’ve had a chance to try a tea, a meal or experienced a celebration of one of the many countries represented by the students at NWC. And I hope these students see that this community appreciates their presence and is excited to learn about their culture, as we show off how great our little corner of the USA is.

“If civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships — the ability of all peoples, of all kinds, to live together, in the same world at peace.” — President Franklin Delano Roosevelt