Halls of the East Lansing Hannah Community Center were filled with voices in dozens of different
languages as students, residents and other community members gathered for the second annual Welcomes the World event Sunday afternoon.
Through a series of speakers, performances and food, East Lansing and the Community Volunteers for International Programs teamed up to bring a well-rounded experience to international students from MSU and community members invested in the cause.
CVIP, a community program meant to help integrate international students with the greater community through outreach, teamed up with the city to promote the program and the concept of welcoming foreign students.
East Lansing Assistant City Manager Marie McKenna said the partnership reinforces the goal of Welcomes the World, as the city wants to feel like home for students traveling far for school, McKenna said.
“This community not only appreciates the value of diversity but really embraces it,” McKenna said.
“We want to make them feel a part of our community while they’re here.”
The CVIP program began 50 years ago, when a few community members got together to provide coats to international students not used to Michigan winters, CVIP President David Horner said in his welcoming comments.
“Community people saw a need and found a solution,” Horner said.
Now, the program focuses more on outreach, including helping with the annual Global Festival at the Union and an International Friendship Program that pairs international students with residents to forge relationships throughout the course of their stay in the city.
Other speakers included State House of Representatives candidate and former East Lansing Mayor Sam Singh, Sen. Gretchen Whitmer, D-East Lansing, Office for International Students and Scholars Director Peter Briggs and MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon.
Lex Ariff, a biotechnology senior and member of the International Students Association, said the event was an opportunity for international students to learn more about the community but also provided an opportunity for residents and students from the U.S. to get a new perspective.
“There are a lot more areas we have yet to explore between (locals) and international students,” Ariff said.
“It feels right for us to come and help out any way we can.”
In his welcoming comments, East Lansing Mayor Vic Loomis said the event showed the inherent diversity of the community as a whole.
“The world has really come to East Lansing — the world is here at our doorstep,” Loomis said.
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