Diversity
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I am proud to say that I am biracial. Not many people would think so just by looking at me. My mother moved to the U.S. when she was about 4 years old from Havana, Cuba. People say I look like a lighter version of her. My dad moved to the U.S. from Bari, Italy when he was 17. So not only am I biracial, but I also have alien parents! I never thought anything of my dad's thick, often hard to understand accent until my friends brought it to my attention. This is just how I thought people spoke. On Sunday morning I looked forward to the television blaring with a loud soccer announcer screaming "GOOOOOOAAAAAAL!!!" And on my mother's side, the salsa music and dancing that went in when we got together. I learned to move my hips like an other girl in my dance class. Since my mother has been in the U.S. culture for most of her life she has adopted the American culture. But I know that I am in trouble when she starts yelling in spanish. I am so proud of who I am and I hope that everyone can be as proud as their background too.
International Programs Council is an organization I was involved in before my schedule got crazy busy. The organization was to put on programs for WMU students, focusing on the International students. It is one of my favorite groups of people that I know! Everybody is so nice and come from all over the world! I was one of the student coordinators for International Festival in 2004. International Festival is a one-day event that takes more than 4 months to plan! We met biweekly with the different organizations that would be represented there. We had 18 organizations that decorated booths, had food samples, and sold cultural artifacts. During the event there was a showcase performed by students and a fashion show to share their culture with WMU and the Kalamazoo community.
International Programs Council
Last updated on: April 17, 2005