International Week was an event that featured a variety of presentations, performances and lectures to let the student body learn about and celebrate with Iowa State’s international community.

This was the second year International Week, which ran from Oct. 29 to Nov. 6, has been held. It was organized by the International Student Council.

Thulitha Wickrama, ISC secretary, was responsible for organizing the different seminars that were held during the week.

Wickrama, senior in statistics, said three seminars were held: one on global understanding, another on becoming a cultural explorer and a third on U.S. immigration law.

Global understanding was discussed by students from various international student organizations, Wickrama said, adding that members of the Chinese Student Association talked about China’s legal requirement of allowing no more than one child per family.

The Cultural Kaleidoscope Peers, a group of American and international students, provided tips on how to become a good cultural explorer, Wickrama said.

The seminar on U.S. immigration law, Wickrama said, was well-attended “because a lot of the [international] students want to get jobs here after they graduate and try to get residency.”

Wickrama, a native of Sri Lanka, said he believes International Week plays a vital role on the ISU campus.

“International Week gives international students the opportunity to expose their individual cultures to the local community here,” he said.

Sheikh Hasan, president of ISC, said he attended the majority of the week’s events.

Hasan said the fair’s main purpose was to raise funds for international student financial aid. The money obtained from selling the food was used to give scholarships to five international students.

The criteria these students must meet include promoting cultural understanding on campus, eligibility for financial aid and sufficient GPAs. The scholarships were given out on the last day of International Week.

Hasan highlighted the importance of the week. “It’s not just taking education but also educating others about our values, cultures and who we are,” he said.

Arimbi Hermuninggar, finance director for ISC, said she was really pleased with how International Week turned out.

“Automatically, we connect with other people from different countries, and that’s what I like,” said Hermuninggar, senior in finance.

Hermuninggar said continuing International Week is important to her. “It’s a tradition, so I hope it’s not going to stop,” she said.