The international graduate student community is an integral part of our academic community here on campus. The University of Maryland, College Park is home to approximately 3,300 international graduate students representing over 120 countries. For this reason, the Graduate School has been sponsoring an annual International Graduate Student Thanksgiving Dinner, both to celebrate this critical constituency but also to build community.
At this week's event, there was record attendance with 500 graduate students representing 38 countries across the globe. Host and Assisant Dean Jeffrey Franke delivered the welcome, followed by a Ralph Waldo Emerson poem delivered by South African native Maryke Haasbroek.
Amanda Strausser, event organizer, summed it up accurately. "It was a fantastic event, 100 more attendees than last year. Many graduate students came with #spartners, children or friends and there was great energy in the room. It was really gratifying to hear from our international students and support them through this shared meal."
