It was with great fanfare that Taylorian international students paraded flags into the amphitheater area at the Lakeside campus to launch the first ever International Week. The launch event was officiated by the Vice-Chancellor & President, Prof. Hassan Said as well as Prof. Perry Hobson, the Pro-Vice Chancellor for Global Engagement and Ms. Angela Pok, the Vice-President for Student Experience along with the President of the International Student Council, Hamzah Aslam and also the Vice President, Nicholas Sidharta.
As the launch balloons headed skyward, it was noted that there are already some 2,000 international students studying a wide-variety of courses at Taylor's University and they are drawn from over 80+ countries (such as China, Indonesia, Mauritius, India, The Maldives, Kazakhstan, Japan, Korea etc.). This semester we also have some 46-exchange students from a range of European countries such as the UK, Germany, Finland, France, The Netherlands, Italy, and Austria too. The purpose of International Week was to highlight the diversity of cultures on the campus, and to give an opportunity for our eleven International Student Societies to showcase their food and culture. Furthermore, it allows for Malaysian students to learn more about these countries, and the opportunities they have to access our Global Mobility Officeand to go on a semester exchange themselves.
The week also showcased the Centre for Languages and the various languages – such as Spanish (with thanks to the support of the Embassy of Mexico), Japanese, Korean and French - that are available to learn at Taylor’s Uni. The various student groups also performed traditional dances and games and a group of language students also recited a poem with every line in a different language. So whether students were thinking about studying for a semester in Finland, learning Korean or wondering about the food in the Maldives there was plenty on display.
The week concluded with UN Day, to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. This event launched the LP4-Global Engagement component of our SHINE 2nd transcript. For more information on the event, you may contact Mohamed Hussaini (extn 5012) or Catherine Gwee (extn 5470).