NDB is home to a diverse array of cultures, represented through its students and staffulty. One of the NDB Hallmarks calls the community to embrace diversity, which is seen through acknowledging and celebrating cultural holidays. International students make up a portion of the NDB community and form the International Student Program (ISP) group.

“We’re here to support international students as they study here, both academically and emotionally, at home as well as on campus,” says NDB International Student Director Raena Mullan. “Because these students have traveled a long way to experience NDB’s warmth, it is important to recognize their cultures.”

To encourage students to participate in the Lunar New Year festivities, international students led some activities during collaboration on January 20, one day before the actual Lunar New Year in the Chinese calendar. NDB’s food service program, Epicurean, also did their best to help recognize the traditions by providing Chinese food during lunch. The menu included sesame chicken, vegetable chow mein and hot and sour soup. Students were also encouraged to wear red for this celebration and gain spirit points for their class.

During collaboration, students were invited to join ISP in a series of Lunar New Year activities. Students could test out their painting skills and try their hand at Chinese calligraphy, with red squares of paper and ink for students to use. Students could also create paper lanterns by cutting out designs and taking a guess at the riddles.

In calligraphy, the most popular activity, students learned to write “Happy New Year” in Chinese with brushes. They also got to translate their names into Chinese characters and write with samples from international students.

While these activities were designed to be entertaining for students, they also were meant to educate the NDB community about the various traditions involved with Lunar New Year. As NDB continues to have an inclusive and supportive environment, activities like this are vital to celebrate each student’s individuality and give students a chance to share their own traditions.