Sitting together at lunch, the International Students Club meets again for this week’s presentation — a debate about goats: Lebanon vs. Jordan, a play on the names of Lebron James vs. Michael Jordan.
The club, founded by junior Ginger Kondzela earlier this school year, is open to everyone.
It meets on occasional Wednesdays in Arno Chrispeels’s room.
There are around 20 members, ranging from kids who went on an exchange year to those currently on an exchange year, host families, and students interested in learning about other cultures.
Out of those 20ish members, only eight are currently on exchange years from different countries.
They have three types of meetings, according to Kondzela: technical, cultural, and fun.
Technical meetings are about how exchange programs work, what programs there are, and different opportunities.
Kondzela went on an exchange semester herself, going to the central Loire Valley in France.
“I was inspired to start the club by many amazing friends I made abroad, and I still have now from around the world,” Kondzela said.
At the Exploring Cultures meetings, a student will give a brief overview of their culture or a culture they are interested in.
Kondzela gave a presentation about the Loire Valley in France, informing everyone about her time there.
One fun meeting was geography trivia, except the countries were muffins.
Snacks are always offered at every meeting.
The club’s goal is to support students by being an outlet and helping them to meet new people.
They also gain information about hosting a student or going on an exchange year.
It may also simply help them gain more knowledge about cultures they might not have known before.
Junior Prod Wannasusri is on an exchange year from Bangkok, Thailand.
He’s been here for seven months and leaves at the end of the school year.
Wannasusri joined the club because he wanted to share his culture and meet new people from various backgrounds.
“The International Students Club is like a never-ending conversation; we all have so much to share, and it’s just friends talking to each other.
I encourage people to join; it’s a really fun experience, and you get to learn all kinds of new things,” Wannasusri said.
Junior Liat Friedman joined this year when the club was freshly made, volunteering to be the treasurer.
“I like the club because it gives us information and provides exciting opportunities hands-on,” Friedman said.
This year, the members have learned about all sorts of cultures.
They also give out information for exchange/host programs like AFS Intercultural Programs (American Field Service).