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International students spend hundreds of hours volunteering

December 11, 2019

USI international students volunteer to serve foodIn addition to their classes and other USI activities, 25 international students spent 235 hours volunteering within the Evansville community during the fall 2019 semester. The students split that time between seven organizations: Habitat for Humanity, Patchwork Central, the Evansville Rescue Mission, Southside Stars Youth Zone, Trilogy Health Center, It Takes a Village Canine Rescue and the Evansville Museum of Arts, History and Science. "I learned to help people in need and share my culture with Americans," one student said about their volunteer experience. "I also learned from them."

Students with the highest numbers of volunteer hours were recognized by Fatin Yaro, volunteer coordinator with the Center for International Programs, at the annual International Reception held Thursday, December 5. At the reception, Lisa Barnett, executive director of the Southside Stars Youth Zone, spoke about the impact USI students have had on the young people her organization works with-children who she says typically don't have much exposure to other cultures.

International students tell Southside Stars Youth Zone participants about their countries"They were hearing about the different countries. They were hearing about the different cultures. They were hearing all the things that were different, but they were also hearing all the things that made us very similar," says Barnett.

"They started looking at not just the [USI] students that were coming in, but they were looking at people that were in our neighborhood and the differences that were there, and the people that are in our city and how there are so many different religions and there are so many different nationalities and we're all coming from different spaces, yet we still have common ground."

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