Local and international students came together this September 7 for food, games, and socialization across cultural boundaries at this year’s Intentionally International. Intentionally International is an annual program created by a CSU alumnus Rolo López. Organized by student ministry center Second Story, CHISPA (CSU Hispanic Association), EPIC (Ethnically Asian and Pacific Islanders Club), and CSU International Club, this program provided a space for both local and international students to learn about other cultures and support each other. During this year’s event, numerous fun activities allow students to participate such as board games, pools, karaoke, line dancing, and a potluck where students brought a variety of delicious food from different cultures to share. This event gave a lot of enjoyable, unique experiences to involved CSU students.

“I’ve been to Intentionally International before, and I come to Second Story all the time. I love it. I thought it was really fun. There is a good outturn, a lot of people. I probably will join the next year’s event.” – Isabela Garcia, Communications major, junior.

“This is my first time coming to this event. I think it is cool. There are a lot of people here, a lot of people to meet. I wish I had known about this earlier because I think it is a really fun event for people to get out and see other people in the community. I’ll definitely join the event again in the future.” – Robert Tumpalan Jr., Elementary Education major, graduate student.

“It is my first time joining the Intentionally International event. It was fun. I got to meet new people. I was surprised by how many different ethnicities attended. There was a lot of food that was good as well.” – Bao Han Hoang, Biology major, senior

This year’s Intentionally International was hosted by four organizations: CHISPA (Columbus State University Hispanic Association), EPIC (Ethnically Asian Pacific Island Club), International Club, and Second Story.

• CHISPA (Columbus State University Hispanic Association) promotes higher education among CSU’s Hispanic student population by giving them the support they need and a sense of community. CHISPA establishes strong ties among other CSU students and with the Columbus Hispanic Community through service and cultural activities.

• EPIC (Ethnically Asian and Pacific Islanders Club) is a student-led and all-inclusive organization that represents those who identify as from any region of Asia/Pacific Islands and anyone interested in these cultures.

Lina Heng, junior, Art major, and current president of EPIC, shares her process of collaborating with other organizations and introduces EPIC’s upcoming event:

“EPIC has a good history of collaborating with the International Club to plan events for the student body. Working with them on Intentionally International seemed normal. We have also had events with CHISPA before so it’s good to have the opportunity to keep building that relationship with other organizations.

EPIC has a Halloween party planned. Based on last year’s turnout, it seems to be popular, and we’re excited to see people dress up again and enjoy our potluck. It’s really fun to have that opportunity.”

• International Club is an organization for students who are interested in enriching their worldview through different cultures, who hope to study abroad and want to connect with natives and friends, or who are studying a language and want to find language learning partners.

Marcos Falck, junior, Communication major, and current president of International Club, shares what the club means to him and others and the collaboration with other organizations:

“The International Club is a safe space for international students where they can be themselves. Being away from home we often feel homesick and even think about returning home. Believe me, I have thought about it many times, but thanks to the International Club, I have found a home and a family that tries to support me. But the club is not only that: it is also a space for domestic students to interact with international students [and] share about culture, language, traditions, and so on. Everyone is welcome to join this family and let our journey around the world begin.

The International Club doesn’t just plan events for the campus, it makes everyone feel welcome. At the same time, we can all have “un buen ratico juntos.” From trips to Atlanta, events around campus, or just hanging out together, we try to build a bond together because, at the end of the day, Georgia becomes our second home.

For our annual Intentionally International event we decided to collaborate with three organizations that are part of our family and have created a bond with our students. CHISPA, EPIC, and Second Story have always been our right hand in most of our events and it is an honor to be able to work together again on Intentionally International. My biggest goal is that we can all have a good time, see lots of laughter, and see that everyone feels like they are in a family. After a rough first few weeks of the semester, I want to bring a little bit of joy to everyone who attends the event.”

• Second Story is a local ministry center aimed at college students and young adults. They are located at 1100 Broadway in Uptown Columbus. At Second Story, you will find an array of activities as diverse as its community:board games, movies, pool, ping pong, study space, musical instruments, and more. This space provides many resources and activities for students and young adults in the community.

Nico Jay Moyer, director of Second Story, introduces the organization and shared vision with other organizations planning Intentionally International: “Our goal is not to come down and get students and bring them to church. Our goal is to kinda bring the church down to the students. Creating a space and events where students feel safe, feel like they are a part of the community, feel included, and do what Jesus taught us, which is to watch over each other …

We’re blessed that not everything we planned is our thing. Sometimes, we provide the space for students to utilize, and it just so happens that a lot of international students have a lot of cultures. As a Christian, I love to explore different cultures. I love any opportunity to have people around, not just from different parts of the United States, but from all over the map… We had never realized how much diversity we have. So, it’s cool to be a part of supporting in what the other organizations doing, which is just getting people from all other nationalities, races, belief systems, and everything, together in one space to enjoy our common good which is that we are all humans. Let’s just love each other.

At Second Story, we have weekly activities such as bible study, worship service, and sports, but also each month and semester we try to have big events. There will be some trick-or-treat, and haunted houses around the Halloween season, a Friendsgiving dinner, scholar concerts with Schwob’s music students, and events around Christmas. We also partner with food pantries to help students with food insecurity and connect students with resources.”

Intentionally International had a successful outcome this year. The events brought together a lot of students from around the world and different cultures and provided a safe space for students to gather and learn about each other. The Uproar thanks International Club, EPIC, Second Story, and CHISPA for hosting this event.