Vol. 82, No. 7 Serving Kilgore College since 1936
November 30, 2018
a whole
new world
Carrie Harris / THE FLARE Latinos en Accion perform a traditional Mexican dance for those in attendance. The Cultural Awareness Expo was celebrated on Nov. 13 in the Devall Student Center Ballroom and highlighted KC students from around the globe.
KC community comes together to celebrate diversity on campus KC
MARIA BILOGO Staff Writer
celebrated International Students’ Day with the attendance of 82 international students on Nov. 13. “KC has encouraged, supported and trained international students to prepare for their future,” said Estonia Graves, International Student advisor. “We have 39 different countries in the program.” The greatest number of international students are from Vietnam. International students are invited to take part in the International Student Club. They also have a Facebook page where they upload their events and photos.
“The main goal of the international students is to spread cultural awareness around the campus and in the community. The club is open to both international students and domestic students,” Graves said. International students in KC find a place where they can be themselves and understand other cultures. “The creation of the International Student Club is a wonderful idea because the students can relax, be more comfortable and get help when needed. I decided to study in KC because I wanted to change my location, plus it is the perfect opportunity for me,” said Ribbal Khan, a student from Ukraine and vice president of the International Student Club.
“The best thing about being an international student is that everybody will support you and nobody will look at you differently,” Khan said. “I am very thankful to Tina Luther, Estonia Graves and the student club officers for supporting me.” Advisors appreciate the opportunity to help international students be a part of the KC community and welcome Chrissty Patterson to the team. “My experience working with international students has given me the opportunity to meet people from different countries and know new cultures,” Graves said. “However, we got a new international advisor who recently joined KC.
I think that her participation in the office is going to be great because she definitely has a passion for this.” International students face unique challenges as they integrate into a different culture. “The hardest thing of being an international student is being away from our home countries and from our loved ones,” said Bernice Donou, a student from Benin, and the International Student Club’s president. “The biggest advantage of being an international student is the overall experience we get to live. It is full of lessons, great meetings, emotions and change.” See Page 16 for more pictures from Cultural Awareness Expo.
See Page 2 for the Fall FINAL EXAM Schedule