NYIT Community Celebrates Cultural Diversity, International Students

Pictured: NYIT engineering student Vignesh Harish (right) delivers the 2018 Experiential Education Award to Akaanksha Sinha, who was Harish’s internship supervisor at IBM.

NYIT welcomes a large number of international students and teaches all students to employ a global perspective. From November 12 through 16, NYIT’s Office of International and Experiential Education hosted several events in honor of International Education Week, an initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education. More than 250 students participated in a range of events including panel discussions, a residence hall open house, and a traditional Thanksgiving meal.

“Every year, NYIT organizes activities for this initiative to underscore our efforts to educate community leaders with global acumen,” said Luzia Ogureck, associate director of International and Experiential Education. NYIT, with its strong ties to the international cultural capital of New York City, educates students from more than 90 countries. It also sends students to study abroad sites in Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.

Highlights of the week’s events included a traditional Thanksgiving meal, offered in the Bears Den on the Long Island campus, where international and domestic students ate turkey and celebrated the American tradition of giving thanks with classmates, faculty, and staff.

Meanwhile, in New York City, domestic and international students gathered for another traditional American lunch—Subway sandwiches—to discuss the challenges international students overcome during their studies at NYIT. Panel members from India, Saudi Arabia, and Nigeria talked about what they’ve given up and what they’ve gained by studying here. When asked for advice for international students starting out at NYIT, M.B.A. student Sonali Kapoor said, “Don’t be scared. You’re different. That’s a strength, not a weakness.”

The week culminated with an awards dinner Friday night in celebration of NYIT’s diverse communities and culture. The Office of International and Experiential Education presented awards for outstanding contributions within NYIT’s experiential education programs. Winners of the annual “No Ordinary Journey” essay contest, through which international students write about their personal experiences adjusting to a new culture, were also announced. See the full list of winners below.

Experiential Education Awardees

• Michael Huang, Derive Engineers, Internship Supervisor, ICP Program
• Akaanksha Sinha, IBM, Internship Supervisor, ICP Program
• Patrick Torres, computer science student, for creating the website stphilipsharlem.org/ for Consultants for the Public Good
• Supraja Raghavan, human resources management and labor relations major, for her internships with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and NYS Homes and Community Renewal
• Adena Leder, D.O., assistant professor and director, Parkinson’s Program, for the Rock Steady Boxing initiative.

“No Ordinary Journey” Winners:

• 1st Place: Supraja Raghavan, M.S. Human Resource Management
• 2nd Place: Jingting Zhao, M.A. Communication Arts                       
• 3rd Place: Nikita Gokhale, M.S. Computer Science