International Students Celebrate Thanksgiving Dinner at CM

International Student Coordinator Peter Hill and eight faculty members celebrated Thanksgiving dinner with more than 40 international students in the Kennedy Commons last Thursday night. The event, known as the CM International Thanksgiving Dinner, helped CM students living with host families better understand American culture, providing a welcoming environment to their studies at CM.   

"This mission here is now a global mission, and we are going to send this mission all around the world-- whatever you need, we're here for you,” said CM President Dr. Folan.

"When we bring people in and expand people's experience, we expect you to do the same thing here."

CM continued the annual celebration with a full platter of turkey, side dishes, and deserts. Students ate alongside one another and learned about the history of Thanksgiving via the game “kahoot” and CM trivia.

Mr. P.J. Rufo led the students in a special prayer in Mandarin before the meal began.

“Thank you God for giving us food and friends, if there is no God, we all cannot be here,” said Mr. Rufo, a third-year faculty member at CM.

“Thanks to our school, I got a chance to enjoy this great celebration,” said Allen Shen, a junior international student. “I learned a lot about Thanksgiving traditions and enjoyed seeing the support of the entire community while sharing a meal.”

The Thanksgiving dinner gives CM international students an opportunity to share a meal with a faculty member according to Allen. For Allen, now in his third year at CM, the celebration makes his transition to life in America easier.

The faculty in attendance spoke highly of the event.

“It was great to see the students all gathered together, laughing, and having a good time over some traditional American food,” said Mr. Brian Clark, a language teacher at CM.

“A decent number of the international students take Latin, so I wanted to show them how much I appreciate them and their hard work in my class by joining the dinner.”