One of the benefits of this job is I can guarantee I
will learn at least one new thing everyday. More often than not, I
learn several new things a day. With each person I meet, I have the
opportunity to access a new perspective, even if it is only for a short
time.

    While covering SMCC’s “Living in a Multicultural
World” presentation, I had the chance to learn from students who have
come a long way to study in Maine. Listening to the women speak about
their experiences here, I began to realize that Maine is becoming an
increasingly diverse state. For me, it is usually a stretch to
associate Maine with diversity. The state’s colleges and universities,
however, have the ability to change that view by attracting students
from all different backgrounds.

    SMCC is certainly demonstrating that Maine can
compete as a destination for international and multicultural students.
I learned that SMCC has over 55 international students from 28
countries and over 400 students who originally came from other states
and countries. According to the school’s website, those numbers are out
of a total population of 2,526 full-time students, 909 part-time
students, and 991 students attending other locations or online. As the
student population is growing, one can also assume that the number of
international and multicultural students is also growing.

    As academic institutions throughout Maine attract
more and more international and multicultural students, offerings
similar to SMCC’s presentation will increase with more conversation as
a result. It was interesting to hear Ruth Mugisha, Kate Zelinskaya, and
Vaida Labzintyte try to guess the extent of the audience’s knowledge
about their respective countries. Each woman spoke of a major event in
the country’s history and I would feel confident in stating that they
correctly identified the one tidbit of information shared by the
general public.

    On the other hand, the women said that one of the
challenges of studying in another country is not being able to join in
a class discussion because you don’t have facts from a U.S. history
class at your disposal. 

    It seems that both groups have a lot to learn from
one another. The audience was certainly eager to ask the women
questions, sometimes asking the women to clear up misconceptions or
other times asking for their perspective of a current event. One
audience member asked Mugisha for her thoughts on the Darfur conflict
and Mugisha empathized with the people, having experienced in her own
life, the violence that spread through Rwanda in 1994. When I spoke to
Mugisha after the presentation she said she planned to work in conflict
resolution and she hopes to one day be a mediator. As she pursues these
goals, imagine the perspective she can provide for students in similar
programs, who have never had the opportunity to leave the U.S.?

    There is hope even as Maine struggles with a “brain
drain” in that the state is capable of attracting students from all
areas of the world. International students are only here for as long as
their student visas permit, but during that time there can be an
exchange of ideas and stories that can open people’s minds and
potentially benefit an entire academic community.

    Students from other states or countries, who have
chosen to stay in Maine, bring with them new ideas to add to the mix.
The state should not ignore their contributions just because they are
not from around here. 

    I hope Mainers will continue to make an effort to
learn about the different cultures that are present in our state.
Events like the one held at SMCC, are an invaluable opportunity to step
out of your usual routine and meet new and interesting people. In the
process of sharing your own story, you may even learn something new
about yourself.