Floyd County High School students visit Virginia Tech for a day of cultural exchange
In the middle of their school day, 27 high school students left Floyd County to meet face-to-face with Virginia Tech students from China, Guatemala, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, and South Korea.
Meanwhile, the 24 Hokies — international students enrolled in the Language and Culture Institute (LCI) — prepared for an English language practice session unlike any they’d ever had.
As the high school students walked into the institute's classroom in the new Gilbert Street building, they saw 10 tables, each sporting the name of a country and that country’s flag and map. Behind each table, in the expert seat, sat the international students representing their homeplaces. Before long, conversations were blooming.
Curious about everyday life in places they knew little about, the high schoolers asked a lot of questions: What’s your favorite food there? How big is your city compared with Blacksburg? How is school different between the U.S. and China?
As the LCI students described their homes, they often pulled out their cellphones to show maps, pictures, and even recipes.
Every five minutes or so, the high school students were prompted to get up and start a fresh conversation with someone from another country. Moving from table to table, they caught glimpses into eight cultures.
The exercise “nourished my international interests,” said Floyd County student Ruby Dowd. “I got to talk to people from countries I hadn’t looked into before.”
The event also benefited the LCI students. The institute, part of Outreach and International Affairs, supports students’ language learning and cultural acclimatization while they start taking courses or prepare to take courses at Virginia Tech.
Talking nonstop in English with inquisitive high schoolers was certainly language practice, but this was more than a classroom activity. Getting the opportunity to talk about their homes and cultures, the international students later told their instructors, was uplifting and made them feel proud of their nationality — and also a little homesick. One Chinese student, Tian Ke, described the event as “a precious memory.”
LCI Co-Director Elsie Paredes said she and her staff recognize that getting used to a new culture and language can be tiring, and there aren’t many opportunities when their students get to feel like experts in that process.
“Not only is this a chance for them to practice their English, but it also gives them the opportunity to be in the expert seat,” she said.
Such interactions, Paredes said, foster cross-cultural understanding and appreciation, helping students develop global citizenship skills. “Our international students gain insights into American culture, while local students learn about different cultures and perspectives, expanding their worldview and preparing them for an increasingly interconnected world.”
The meet-up was organized by two longtime friends and former colleagues — Ada Chrisman, a high school teacher and International Club sponsor, and Mary Freday, an LCI instructor. Both women have a passion for intercultural education and increasing opportunities in rural Appalachia — particularly Floyd County, where they are from.
“I personally know how limited the international connections can be in Floyd,” said Freday, who’s taught at Virginia Tech since 2013. “I am just so happy to be able to give back to my community in this way.”
Chrisman said that although her students are part of the high school’s international club, most have never traveled overseas. Some have never left Virginia.
“We’re living in a global village now,” Chrisman said. “The more we understand other cultures, the more open our minds become to new ideas and empathy.”
