Thirty students from 30 different countries on Friday will host the 10th annual Taste the Nations.
Trevecca’s international Students’ Club hosts the event each year. The evening includes dinner from each culture represented and a program that includes songs, dances, skits and scripture reading.
The club will end the event by reading scripture in the 22 different languages represented, as well as singing Amazing Grace in four different languages.
In 2006, Roy Phillip, associate professor of marketing, and his wife Jooly Phillip, associate professor of English, started the club. It was originally called the International Students of Trevecca, or, ISAT. In 2014, there was a major shift in the design of the club. They changed the name to NAMASTE, which means “welcome” in Hindi. The Phillips noticed their club was made up of 90 percent of students who were international, but grew up in the U.S. They wanted to reach out to students who came to Trevecca from other counties and also show non-international students a bit about other cultures.
“The club has two main objectives. The first is provide a place where international students can get used to the American culture, to go to and share their thoughts and we can help them with any needs. The second objective was to start a program to show Trevecca students who may not have a chance to travel outside the U.S. to have a taste of new cultures,” said Roy Phillip.
The club has a total of about 60 students, and the student president is Asia Norman. The club meets once a month, and the conversation typically revolves around welcoming new students in the fall, and then organizing Taste the Nations in the spring.
WHO: NAMASTE club
WHAT: Taste the Nations
WHEN: April 15th, 7 p.m.
WHERE: TSAC
WHY: experience Trevecca’s cultural diversity
COST: $2.00
