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.