Students gathered in the Hub last week, Sept. 22 to attend the Foreign Fonts, Facts and Fortunes event. The afternoon’s activities were designed to generate awareness about the large international community at SCAD Atlanta. Participants had their name translated into different languages, and then written as script using the alphabet for that language. A variety of languages were represented, including Japanese, Arabic, Farsi, Urdu, Korean, Thai, Chinese, Hindi, Persian and Sanskrit.
“It was really cool to see my name in different languages and to actually see how it’s written,” said Gemma Lindennau, first-year interior design student. “There’s a broad amount of international students in my classes, and it’s great to experience their culture.”
At SCAD Atlanta, about one in 10 students is an international student, according to Peter May, international student adviser.
Keerati Na Ranong, graduate student in advertising, asked students as they moved through the line what the meaning of their name is and where it originated. She wrote student names in Thai and pointed out the individual characters in English.
Painting graduate student Srinjoy Gangopadhajay, participated in the event by writing student names in Sanskrit. He explained that Sanskrit has influenced many Indo-Aryan languages, but is most commonly associated with Hindi. Students received pamphlets on each language explaining the history, origin and linguistics of the country where they are spoken.
Students grabbed for fortune cookies and conversed about their lucky numbers while arguing about the cookies’ questionable predictions. The event attracted numerous students in-between classes including some international students were able to converse with peers in their native language.
The event was sponsored by Uni Intercultural Club of SCAD and International Student Services. Students transitioning from other countries into the American university system are assisted by full-time advisers in the International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO).
“[The ISSO events are] really a chance for SCAD to highlight our international community,” May said. “It’s a great opportunity to interact with international students.”
The next ISSO event will be the coffee hour in the Hub on Thursday, Oct. 27 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. The event will highlight Vietnamese culture and some Vietnamese students will even show off traditional dress.
To speak with an international student adviser contact the SCAD Atlanta ISSO office email issoatl@scad.edu or call (404) 253-3104.
For more information on SCAD Atlanta ISSO click here. http://www.facebook.com/scadissoatl?sk=wall.
