Ruyi Jiao was not thinking about Halloween when she traveled from Beijing, China, to study English at 5X社区 at Stark. Still, she made sure to represent her home country, donning a traditional Chinese costume she purchased on eBay.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important we represent China,鈥 says Ms. Jiao, who goes by the American name 鈥淓lena鈥 this semester as she participates in Kent State Stark鈥檚 English as a Second Language (ESL) program. 鈥淪ome people are very curious about China, and we want people to learn about China just as we learn about America.鈥
Bringing the world to Stark County, Ohio, Ms. Jiao is one of 34 international students taking courses at Kent State Stark this fall. The group recently celebrated Halloween for the first time, participating in the campus鈥檚 ninth annual Boo U event.
Ms. Jiao and her fellow international students, including Xing Yang 鈥淩aelynn鈥 and Yuqian Xu 鈥淩achel,鈥 passed out handfuls of candy to children and posed for photos with local families.
鈥淚t is very colorful,鈥 says Ms. Yang of Xi鈥檃n, China. 鈥淚 would not have thought of Halloween as dressing up as a dinosaur or a princess.鈥
Designed as an educational fall celebration for elementary school-aged children, Boo U invites community members to explore Kent State Stark鈥檚 beautiful, 200-acre campus. Children trick or treat while participating in learning activities at stations manned by student leaders. During the 鈥淪wamp Walk,鈥 families are invited to tour the pond and learn about wetland research.
鈥淏oo U is just one of many programs that expose international students to U.S. customs and traditions,鈥 says Sarah Schmidt, outreach coordinator for Kent State Stark鈥檚 Office of Global Initiatives. 鈥淎s our international students engage with the Kent State Stark campus community, a reciprocal exchange occurs 鈥 we have the benefit of learning about Chinese culture and diversifying the viewpoints and experiences on campus.
鈥淭he concept of global citizenship hinges on authentic cultural exchanges, which is what the Stark ESL program fosters,鈥 Ms. Schmidt adds.