With headlines concerning different groups appearing daily, international students worry about their standing in the United States as a new approach to the world takes hold.
Regardless, the Peoria Area Friends of International Students (PAFIS) and the Indian Student Association (ISA) hosted their annual picnic for new and returning international students on Sept. 21.
Among the tables of various cultural foods, students voiced their concerns.
“It’s so stressful,” Khadija Zahid, a second-year master’s in studio art student, said. “Every day [I’m] seeing the news that crime rates are increasing, and then there are so many new rules for each one: students, international students, immigrations…”
Despite the tension, the community has found the flurry of policies to be uniting.
“It’s made us closer,” President of PAFIS Randy Mogler said. “If you live somewhere internationally and somebody reached out to you in truth and in sincerity and accepted you for who you are, you become closer, you start sharing.”
Recurring for over 40 years, this isn’t the first time the picnic marked a tenuous period. 9/11 shaped the context of the new connections made after the 2001 picnic and the general Peoria community.
“People had questions. I didn’t,” Mogler said, recounting his peers’ reactions.
Vice president of ISA Dharshine Baskaran, a second-year master’s in logistic analytics student, described the engagement opportunities the picnic introduces to students.
“[ISA’s] part is to make them feel at home and [open up] to be involved in the community,” Baskaran said. “We have the Diwali event … on Oct. 17. We unite and celebrate it together without any bias just for fun, food and celebration.”
Aside from the difficulties and festivities, Baskaran highlighted an unexpected learning experience.
“I’m from the south part of India, I’ve never travelled to the north. But yesterday, I went to Gangaun: the North Indian celebration. I don’t think ever in India I would have the opportunity to explore the culture in my [own] country’s other part—but here I do,” Baskaran said.
Another international student at the picnic noted the learning culture at Bradley promotes experiences to grow.
“The educational system is so different here than in Kyrgyzstan. Here, professors can actually challenge your thoughts, and it’s a lot of freedom,” Bermet Adambekova, a second-year master’s in clinical mental counseling student, said. “I don’t really see the direct influence—the political influence—on academia. You can say what you really mean and your grades will not get affected.”
Assistant Director of International Student Engagement and Residential Life Taylor Soto highlighted the importance of having an environment like this to the Bradley community.
“We learn when we’re uncomfortable, when we’re facing new things, when we’re facing the unknown,” Soto said. “Having students from all different backgrounds, whether it’s international … first generation students, from different socioeconomic backgrounds or from different cultural backgrounds, that’s where we learn.”
In the classroom, Soto’s remarks, along with the experiences of students like Adambekova and Baskaran, reflect opportunities for learning for both international and domestic students at Bradley.
Outside the classroom, events like the fall picnic and the upcoming Diwali celebration host learning experiences, cross cultural connection—and unique foods.
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