Methodist University’s international students – who represent nearly 60 different countries across the world – will be showcasing their cultures, traditions, and talents during a special, spirit-filled night on campus.
Methodist University’s international students – who represent nearly 60 different countries across the world – will be showcasing their cultures, traditions, and talents during a special, spirit-filled night on campus.
On Thursday, March 21, MU’s International Club will host “Pangea” from 6-8 p.m. at Huff Concert Hall. Both the MU community and public are invited to attend the annual event that allows international students to express themselves through dance, songs, poems, theatrical performances, and more – all with nods to their home countries.
“We’re all excited for Pangea,” said International Club President Pavlos Trivolas, a junior majoring in Applied Communication with a concentration in Organizational Communication and Leadership and a Greece native. “It’s our biggest event of the year and we look forward to sharing our cultures. It gives us a chance to express ourselves and show the community where we came from and how we grew up.”
More than two dozen international students are slated to participate in this year’s Pangea with Bollywood dancing, K-Pop dancing, Greek-Bosnian dancing, and Norwegian singing as some of the talents on the program.
On top of individual and group performances, Pangea also showcases a few special moments including a flag ceremony that allows the international students to wave the flag of their home country all together. The night also includes the ever-popular fashion show, featuring clothing and attire distinctive to the cultures of international students’ countries.
Freshman Nejra Idrizovic, an Engineering major with a concentration in Industrial & Systems Engineering from Bosnia and Herzegovina, is scheduled to perform various Bosnian folk dances on Thursday night. Although it is her first experience with Pangea, Idrizovic looks forward to the opportunity to share a part of herself with the MU community.
“I’m excited about Pangea because it gives me a chance to show off Bosnian culture through folk dance,” she said. “I want to give people a taste of the vibrancy and tradition we have. It’s a way for me to share my heritage and hopefully spark some interest and excitement about Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
The following students are scheduled to perform in this year’s Pangea (in alphabetical order of country):
- Zakia Maryam Najafizada (Afghanistan)
- Micaela Vargas Corvera (Bolivia)
- Nejra Idrizović (Bosnia and Herzegovina/Montenegro)
- Sebastián Ramírez Araya (Chile/Peru)
- Mara Izquierdo (Colombia)
- Arron Moranga (Congo)
- Dorvie Onfoula (Congo)
- Sebastián Buzo (Costa Rica)
- Pavlos Trivolas (Greece)
- Ana Rívera De León (Guatemala)
- Anuja Sonnad (India)
- Meghrik Ajzajian (Lebanon/Armenia)
- Joey Lim (Malaysia/Indonesia)
- Asher Núñez Halevi (Mexico/USA)
- Rafael Shilengitha (Namibia)
- Thora Steinsrud (Norway/UK)
- Seoyen Park (South Korea)
- Yumi Joh (South Korea)
- Jehobia Jijin Premakumar (Sri Lanka)
- Reshazhuoma Reshazhouma (Tibet)
- Carolina Elliott (USA/Philippines)
- Cheyenne Elliott (USA/Philippines)
- William Johnston (USA)
- Josie Perry (USA)
In collaboration with MU’s Student Government Association, the International Club will even host a flag-naming competition in Berns Student Center on Tuesday, March 19, to help drum up interest for Pangea. For more information, visit the Events Calendar.
To get a glimpse of what Pangea looks like, view last year’s recap video.
Methodist University has graduated international students from 125 different countries since 1985 and currently has more than 90 international students on campus. MU’s all-international Global Education Office staff has a strong history of guiding international students throughout their time at the University. Visit the Global Education Office page to learn more.