The International Club at Michigan Technological University prides itself in being the most diverse club in school. It welcomes students of all ethnic backgrounds to work together in an environment filled with friendship, joy and love. They are currently in the process of preparing for the International night or I-night, a tradition special to them, that has been held annually for several years. It is filled with diversity, music, dance, food and performances. It is expected that the program will be organized April 21, and soon tickets to attend will be sold around campus.
“It takes five full months of planning and hard work!” says Ankith Ullal, a PhD student and adviser to the International Club. He is in charge of the logistics of the program, considered to be one of the most important tasks of them all! It includes creating a sequence of events for the day of the program, room reservations, coordinating with Sound and Lighting Services and working with the individual task lists for other members.
“Come celebrate the night with the big family that we became,” says Rene Teufack Ngoussomo, a third year Materials Science Engineering major. Over the years, the I-club has grown and its members continue to work as a strong team. Last year they were winners of the Exceptional Program of the year award, for their initiative, The Language Program. Currently they still organize free Chinese lessons in Fisher Hall room 131, 6 p.m. – 7 p.m. every Thursday. It is led by Luyao Li, a fourth year Environmental Engineering student. “I’m looking forward to the night full of different cultures!” she says. Luyao Li was also the winner of the Percy Julian award, and is passionate about bringing change to the community with leadership. The Finances for I-night is taken care of by the treasurer, Ian Xia. “We look for different sponsors, such as the Undergraduate Student Government, Graduate Student Government, etc.”
Apart from preparing for the program, the club does community service during Make a difference day, and organizes potlucks and game nights open to the entire school. They are currently in the process of planning a new event for the club. “I don’t know what to say. I think tubing sounds like a good idea,” says Zijian Zhu, a final year Electrical Engineering student who was trying to brainstorm ideas. Members work together in groups and improve their group skills through feedback loops and self-learning. “A word to describe the I-club is that it is a tiny global village in our community” says Harsh Malu, the Indian USG representative and Mechanical Engineering student. The club is also planning to work on Spring Fling, with possibilities of having popsicles, bubbles and skateboarding. With the new emcees and increased efficiency of the club, International Night 2018 is expected to be a good one.
