On Feb. 18, DU students gathered together to share experiences and stories from studying abroad at the seventh annual Global Gala. The event took place in the Driscoll Ballroom from 7-10 p.m.The Global Gala is hosted by the junior class council, USG, Student Life and the Office of Internalization.
The ballroom was transformed for the event with a stage set up for intercultural performances throughout the night and different countries’ flags flying high to frame the front stage. A slideshow played periodically throughout the evening, showcasing submissions for the DU Study Abroad photo contest.
The contest included several different categories, including Cultural Interaction; People; Places and Food, Flora and Fauna. There was also a Facebook Favorite category where the photos were posted on the DU Study Abroad Facebook page and the winner was chosen based on the most “likes”.
The winner for the Cultural Interaction category was Osayande Aihie for “It takes a Village to Raise a Child.” Abreana Bardossas won the DU Students Abroad category with “Becoming a Kiwi.” Dana Kiel’s “En El Aire Libre” won the Facebook Favorites category;.Courtney Yalen’s “Agadir Fruit Market” won the Food, Flora and Fauna category. the winner of the People category was Osayande Aihie once again with “Preservation through the Generations.” Finally, “Roy’s Peak” by Alex McDonald won the Places category. The winner of each category received a canvas print of their photo.
All the returnees and their guests arrived dressed for the occasion in their best party attire, and many professors showed up as well, including music professors performing with the Ghanian Drumming group from DU’s Lamont School of Music.
Guests were greeted with hors d’oeuvres at the door from a catering staff, which included a variety of international foods. There were four different tables full of cultural appetizers from different countries. Australia, Egypt, Spain and Jamaica were represented with finger foods like pita bread with tzatziki and falafel from Egypt and kabobs from Spain. Other servers meandered around re-filling plates with different cultural food, such as the South American seafood dish ceviche.
In the adjacent room overlooking the Driscoll Student Center, mocktails were served along with a variety of desserts including baklava, a Middle Eastern dish, and green tea cakes. Other photo submissions for the contest were framed and displayed in this room, which was decorated with vases of flowers. Groups of students enjoyed relaxing on the couches after dancing in the main ballroom.
The performances that occurred throughout the evening included Irish dancing from a community troupe from the DU area, the DU Tango Club and the Lamont School’s Ghanian Drumming Group to end the evening. Each of the shows included the performers educating the audience about their performance, as well as the cultural aspects and significance of it.
The Global Gala is important to students because it helps ease the transition back into life not only at DU but in the United States. “I think the Global Gala is extremely important because so many of us spent months preparing to leave for abroad, and then had no real preparation for returning home. At least for me, the transition back to the states has been kind of a shock. It was great to have the opportunity to not only see that I’m not alone in this, but also to hear about everyone’s experiences and to see the way various ways people are maintaining interest in different cultures,” said Laura Lockwood, a junior Grand Junction native, who just returned from studying in Florence, Italy at the Studio Art Centers International. Lockwood also performed with the Ghanian drumming ensemble.
Just as many students are freshly returned from study abroad and more than eager to share stories from their fall quarters around the world, most sophomores are simultaneously receiving their nominations for the program where they will spend their fall quarter of the 2015-2016 school year. An event like Global Gala recognizes the experiences of study abroad returnees and celebrates their reunions with friends and fellow Pioneers.
This event, along with the nominations of many sophomoress to their study abroad programs, makes this a very special time of year for the DU community. Studying abroad is a huge aspect of the university’s culture and experience, not only for those who go but also for those who get to learn from all the experiences of the students who went. It is a unique opportunity that sets DU apart from many of other universities, and the Global Gala is just one of the many opportunities that students have to celebrate it.
