300 high school language students attend global fair

March 26, 2024 (Volume 47, Number 15)
Article by Peg West

student in green sweatshirt plays game and holds yellow card out for others to see

student with arms raised doing belly dance holding sheer fabric over her head

three students in front of banner that reads Classics

two young students hold colorful fans while posing with photo booth props

woman laughing and holding arms crossed in front of her chest

Colton Comiskey, from Forest Hills Central High School, center, plays a game of Guess Who? with other high school students during the Global Language and Culture Festival March 20 in the Kirkhof Center.

Photo Credit: Kendra Stanley-Mills

The Modern Languages and Literatures Department welcomed about 300 high school world language students to the Allendale Campus recently to explore languages and cultures and find out what Grand Valley has to offer.

The first Global Language and Culture Festival at the Kirkhof Center offered a variety of activities and events as well as opportunities to learn more about GVSU, said Janel Pettes Guikema, department chair. Students from the Grand Rapids, Forest Hills, Kenowa Hills and Rockford school districts visited.

"Students were able to connect with GVSU faculty and students and learn about global cultures, study abroad and the many benefits of multilingualism," Guikema said. "Language teachers in West Michigan have expressed interest in this type of opportunity for years, and their immediate feedback from the festival was extremely positive, with requests to make this an annual event."

Attendees watched performances, participated in a shadow puppet show, played games, went on a campuswide scavenger hunt and enjoyed fare from food trucks, among other offerings.

The students also learned more about language programs at GVSU, completed language-proficiency checks at the Language Resource Center in Mackinac Hall and went on campus tours led by Admissions staff, Guikema said.

The event was sponsored by MLL, Classics, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Area and Global Studies.