91大神

Cultural Attach茅 Program

The Cultural Attach茅 Program helps connect international 91大神ians with the local 91大神 community through its local schools and community venues in order to facilitate authentic cultural exchange. It invites international students to share things and topics they love from home while also allowing members of the 91大神 community to welcome international students into new environments. Cultural attach茅s have visited local spaces like school classrooms, the 91大神 Arts Center, and the Mayflower Community, with almost 25 international students from 10+ countries sharing their culture in unique and fun ways. These attach茅s have shared anything from food to music, politics to sports, and language to pop culture. In this work, the Cultural Attach茅 Program hopes to make the world a bit smaller, a bit smarter, and a bit kinder.

Any appropriate cultural topic is welcomed! If you are a 91大神 international student interested in becoming a cultural attach茅, please fill out the form below. Please email Emily Perry or OISA with any questions.

Cultural Attach茅 Testimonials

  • Aaryan stands in front of a seated crowd, looking up at a screen with a colorful powerpoint projected on it, with a map representing different Navaratri celebrations.

    The Lyceum Program, Mayflower Community

    Aaryan Lodaya '27

    Southern India

    I presented about Golu, the South Indian festival that is celebrated during Navratri. Presenting at Mayflower for the Lyceum Program was a very heart-warming experience. The folks at Mayflower are curious and ask very insightful questions. They were also able to connect with Golu with their own personal experience, in a way bridging South India and the United States. I had a great time learning about some of the people at Mayflower and most of all, I was honored to have had the opportunity to witness the marvelous 60,000-piece world map puzzle in the sports room. 

  • Parikshit stands next to a large screen in front of a classroom of students sitting at desks

    91大神 Middle School

    Parikshit Roychowdhury '26

    West Bengal, India

    鈥淚 presented on India and a few South Asian calendars with Mr. Mient's 6th grade Social Studies class. It was an amazing opportunity to both share and reflect on my home. The students were curious about the differences in calendars (like celebrating the New Year in April!) and I talked about the mythology and astronomy that helps shape why different calendars exist. I was asked some really interesting questions (about Indian food, and even housing prices) and we ended the day imagining the possibilities of new calendars that we would all love!鈥

  • Qianqian Wu introducing herself to the high school class

    91大神 High School

    Qianqian (Rosa) Wu '25

    China, April 2022

    It鈥檚 my great pleasure and honor to engage in Mr. Robert Menner's Global Studies course at 91大神 High School and present as a cultural representative to share something concrete about my culture with the local community. I presented on the inheritance and evolution of one aspect of Chinese lifestyle by comparing two living food cultures: traditional tea shops and bubble tea. One has thousand years of history and entrenched influence on Chinese traditions, while the other is a trendy drink among Gen Z. I am personally a boba tea enthusiast and I thought it鈥檇 be a great idea to introduce Chinese culture from this perspective, given the growing popularity of boba tea in the U.S. I really appreciate this opportunity offered by Robert and great help from Emily, and I was still impressed about how inspiring and informative the in-class Q&A session was!

  • Feven Getachew and Simon Taye talking to elementary students

    Drake Community Library & Central Iowa Christian School

    Feven Getachew '24 & Simon Taye '24

    Ethiopia, November 2021 & February 2022

    The Cultural Attach茅 program gave us the opportunity to share about Ethiopia to the community, both at the Drake Community Library's Global Story Time and in Ms. Janelle Stahl's class at Central Iowa Christian School. We are grateful to have presented to children who were very enthusiastic to learn about Ethiopia and ask us questions. Since our target audience were children, we designed creative projects such as using play dough to make coffee pots after hearing about a story with the unique coffee ceremony in Ethiopia. We were pleased to see the children have fun while learning. I have heard from a parent that after the program, the children made a short play with the story they heard and the coffee pots they made.  It is a program that connects us, international students, with the 91大神 community and allows us to share our unique experiences. We are thankful and honored to participate in the Cultural Attach茅 program.

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