From shared meals to arts showcases and festive evening gatherings, events organized for the Global Garden series and offer students, staff, and faculty opportunities to connect across cultures and celebrate the many identities that make up the Dartmouth community.
On April 5, more than 250 people enjoyed food from around the world at the Global Garden street food fair in Collis Common Ground. The event kicked off a weeklong student-led series sponsored by the International Student Experience Office.
Student groups contributed offerings from Brazil, Cambodia, China, Jamaica, Malaysia, Mexico, Thailand, Vietnam, and other parts of South Asia. The week’s events also included an April 8 international dinner co-hosted by the International Employee Resource Network, where students, faculty, and staff mingled in a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere, and a trivia night on April 11, co-hosted by Collis After Dark. The events were cosponsored by the Special Programs and Events Committee.
“While acknowledging the multiplicities of cultures at Dartmouth, the International Student Experience Office is committed to fostering a learning community that is aware, respectful, and engaged in and outside the classroom,” says , director of the International Student Experience Office in.
At the heart of the events was a shared goal: to create spaces of care and belonging for international students and the wider community. “Our international students bring so much to this campus, and I know I have learned a lot from being a part of that community myself when I was a student and now working with them as a staff member,” says , program coordinator of the International Student Experience Office, who worked closely with the Global Garden student committee. “Now more than ever, it is important to bring this resilient community together, find support in our larger Dartmouth community, and create space for care and joy in the face of challenges.”
Taha Tariq ’28, a Global Garden co-chair, reflected on his journey of finding community at Dartmouth as a first-year student from London. “I realized the importance of community very early on when I was a part of the First-Year Student Enrichment Program—I had an anchor. I wanted other students to also have an anchor in the international community, so that they could be seen and feel like they belonged,” Tariq says.
In addition to serving as a Global Garden co-chair, Dankweli Mwaka ’27 is involved as an international student mentor. “Being a mentor, co-chair, and student coordinator redefined the way I thought about identity.”
Mwaka, who was born in the United Kingdom and grew up in Kenya, is also part of the organizing committee for the upcoming , organized by the Dartmouth African Student Association. From April 20-26, the Africa Week events are focused on the theme of Ìwé Ìfé: A Love Letter to Our Continent, including food tastings from several African countries, exhibition of student innovations and projects in Africa, spoken word performances, and a gala event.
Africa Week is being supported by North Park House, Allen House, South House, School House, West House, and the Special Programs and Events Committee.
“I think being the co-chair of the Global Garden Committee is probably one of the most important things I’ll ever do on this campus,” says Mwaka. “Events like Global Garden Week and Africa Week are one of the times the campus captures the nuance of the multiple cultures that are actually represented.”
For student leaders, the events provide an opportunity to build community connections in meaningful ways.
“I just wanted people to feel like they belonged and were appreciated. Being 3,000 miles away from home, I’ve somehow found a new one here. Through Global Garden, I wanted to share a little bit of home with the community,” Tariq says.
The International Student Experience Office hosts weekly Global Cafes from 4-5 p.m. on Wednesdays in North Fairbanks 205B through May 28, and Seun Bello Olamosu invites students to visit her office hours from 2:30-5 p.m. on Tuesdays or email the office for an appointment.
