In an effort to raise cultural awareness on Lipscomb’s Campus, the Intercultural Department is sponsoring a week-long festival with events showcasing food, fashion and speakers from around the globe.
This is the fourth year in a row Lipscomb’s Intercultural Department has hosted the WOW (Welcome to Our World) event, and the program directors stressed to students that it is crucial to encourage open intercultural communication and diversity on campus, while continuing to appreciate the differences and similarities that exist between cultures.
“We are celebrating the many cultures represented on our campus,” Assistant Dean and Director of Intercultural Development Lisa Steele said. “Our intercultural students are sharing their traditions, cultures and ethnicity through food, fashion and fun. We are 22% diverse at Lipscomb, and we want to show what that number represents.”
Upcoming events for the week include the International Fashion Show on March 30 at 7 p.m. in Shamblin. For this event, student models wear traditional clothing from their countries, giving intercultural students a venue to share their clothing and traditions, as well as allowing others to share in the cultures. Students can also come by Bennett Student Center and pick up a free international dessert at “Sweet Treats from Around 
the World” beginning at 11 a.m.
“When we experience a piece of someone’s culture, we have a clearer insight into who they are,” Steele said. “The more we understand each other, the more we can respect our differences. “
The Food Truck Fest, featuring 11 trucks serving a variety of international foods, will be on March 31 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Allen Arena circle. This year student entertainers from the CEA will also perform in front of Allen Arena during that time.
This year’s WOW Week was planned by the Office of Intercultural Development’s iLead Team. The group of eight intercultural students went through leadership training in preparation for WOW Week including event planning and budgeting. They then implemented what they learned in planning all of the events. SGA also helped sponsor events financially.
“Each event is designed to give someone a taste of another culture, so even attending just one event will give an American a peek into the lives of students from other countries,” Steele said.
“By learning from each other we grow stronger and more educated. We also bridge that cultural gap by understanding we are more alike than different, but our differences are what make us stronger.”