International students come from all around the globe to take on Central’s hall of academia, whether it be for a degree in accounting, business, the arts or perhaps a Bachelor of Science degree (B.S.).  

Aside from Central’s outstanding catalogue of courses, international students also benefit from the wide range of activities they can participate in during their stay.

Today, from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Barto Lawn will be hosting an array of activities for all students to enjoy. This includes kickball, volleyball, frisbee, dodgeball, and baseball.  This event is specifically designed for international students who are struggling in ways that domestic students haven’t experienced.

Being away from home means being exposed to different senses and most importantly, challenges. These challenges, such as leadership, communication and academics, are reasons why many international students fly home shortly after becoming a Wildcat.

Philip Gohl, who works at the Center for Leadership and Community Engagement on campus, wants all students to feel that Central is their home away from home. What better way to engage international students in a healthy active way, than through the great outdoors.

“Last year, I did a field day because we try and get international students to mingle with domestics, and do some Americanized sports that they may not have the ability to do at—when they go back to their home country,” Gohl said.

Gohl is currently in his one year master’s program in Information Technology and Administrative Management. It’s not often Central coordinates outdoor events, which makes this year’s field day extra special.

Elizabeth Vidaurri, a non-profit minor and International Relations major, is all about international community engagement. She emphasizes the importance of the cross-cultural communication between Central students. By communicating in such a way, she learns how to involve students in opportunities that will prepare them for  situations in the real world once they have graduated.

“Each year we do a quarterly outreach, and then we do a social—kind of a fun thing for them to interact with each other, and get to make new friends,” Vidaurri said. “But our Center also does a variety of other things with different departments. So we have International Café where domestic and international students can also sit down and enjoy lunch together, and play a variety of games.”

Joanne Perez, program manager for the Center for Leadership and Community Engagement, also encourages domestic and international students to build relationships with each other.

“From what we’ve heard [from] international students—their experience is a lot more meaningful when they can build relationships with people from the local community,” Perez said.