By Mario Montalvo/nw news editor
Students are invited to enjoy three days of music, dancing, food and fun at the NE Campus International Festival April 9-11.
Modesta Tollison, assistant professor of English for speakers of other languages, has organized the event for the past four years and said the three-day festival will include a multitude of events featuring ESOL students aimed at promoting languages and cultures from around the world.
“It gives our ESOL students an opportunity to open up and showcase their culture, and at the same time, feel like they are a part of the college,” she said, “because sometimes they don’t. Because of their language barrier, they feel disconnected. So this is a connection, not just for them, but for the whole student body to connect with them and their culture.”
She hopes the event will raise awareness of the diversity of the student body, she said.
The festival also gives other departments an outlet to showcase what they’ve done throughout the year, Tollison said.
The English, dance and photography departments will participate in the event this year.
Dance students from local high schools will perform international pieces.
Lecturers from local universities will also promote their language programs.
The cafeteria will feature international cuisine, and ESOL students and local restaurants will offer samples of foods from around the world.
This year, the festival will have a slightly different format. For the last three years, it was combined with Spring Fest but not this year.
Texas A&M-Commerce coordinator for Hispanic outreach Gilbert Hernandez will be master of ceremonies for the event with different performances every 30 minutes.
The festival will begin with an opening ceremony April 9 at 10 a.m. in Center Corner (NSTU 1615A) and conclude April 11 with food tasting, dance performances and a fashion show at the outdoor area near the campus chessboard.
For a full list of events or to RSVP for specific events, log on to http://tccdne.volunteerhub.com or contact Tollison at modesta.tollison@tccd.edu.
