Editor’s Note: The following was written by Ka’lea Calhoun, a University of Whitewater-Wisconsin student, and shared with Whitewater Unites Lives for the Whitewater Banner.

For my final culture project, I volunteered at the international student’s day at Lincoln elementary school. This is by far the most beautiful experience I have experienced through the university so far. It was so high in culture that I was starstruck. To begin the day, I arrived fairly early and assisted with setting up the face painting area. I met many wonderful people in the town who worked in positions in the city and within the schools. As the day began, I saw many people of  Latino background running tables for their culture. One table that stood out to me most for the culture was the table that was selling authentic Mexican food. It was so amazing to see how different their authentic foods were from our Americanized ones. The food items they had available were nachos, tostadas, and elote [“Mexican street corn.”] There was also live Hispanic music being performed which was definitely an experience. The children from the elementary school played drums, sang songs, and even played in a mariachi band.

At the face painting station, I encountered many young children of Hispanic background and some who were not. Those that were of Hispanic background were such a teaching lesson for me. Some of the children I had spoken to spoke both English and Spanish fluently but some of the children spoke strictly Spanish. It was beautiful. For the end of the program, I assisted with the flag making table. At this table children and adults were welcome to come and color a flag of their choice to represent any country they chose. From this table I learned to identify flags of different countries.

Overall, this event was so beneficial. It was full of resources for all students including those from diverse backgrounds. There were free books in the room, scholarships, art projects directed for youth, face painting, music, food, and overall good vibes. The city of Whitewater should be proud for having such a diverse program for students so young. If this is not an annual event, it indeed should be. I am honored to have been a part of the International students’ day. Gracias profesora.

—-By Ka’lea Calhoun