Although it would be hard to travel to all the different countries represented by the students who attend Lipscomb, a new international students group allows students to explore the different cultures without leaving Green Hills.
Lipscomb’s campus long has been filled with cultural diversity — even the Bison has represented colors of different countries like Mexico and Italy.
Lambda Iota Sigma’s goal is to help all students learn from the cultures, and the members already are partaking in the different activities the group offers.
The group’s vice president Zarina Gumbatova, a textile and apparel major from Uzbekistan, describes the group as “an opportunity to promote diversity on campus, and learn about other cultures while sharing ours.”
Lambda Iota Sigma became possible thanks to the effort and organization of the international students office where Adam Halford and Sylvia Braden are in charge.
“This is the special interest group on campus that is for international students, students from other cultures and any other LU student who is interested in learning about other cultures,” Halford, assistant director of international recruitment, said.
Most of the students in the group have international backgrounds, but not everyone is originally from another country. Shivali Kanal, a biology major from Franklin, Tenn., was born in the U.S. and, therefore, has a different perspective about the group.
“Although, I was born in America, I have an Indian background. I am not as cultured with my heritage as I’d like to be, which is why I like this club. It is a gateway into a variety of cultures and the perfect opportunity to learn and experience them,” Kanal said.
Every student on campus is encouraged to participate in Lambda Iota Sigma and become more aware of the different cultures that are represented on campus. Activities sponsored by the group offer many opportunities for the students to learn from each other.
With a growing population each year, the international students are becoming a strong minority on campus. Every semester, the number of foreign languages that can be heard in the hallways increase, and this group is dedicated to make the students feel at home, according to Samha Siddiqui, president of the club and a political science major from Saudi Arabia.
“We plan to go to different cultural festivals, participate in the diversity fair, and partake in many more activities as a way to mentally travel the world,” Siddiqui said.