Seton Hall families will have the opportunity to host international students at their homes this Thanksgiving. With a large population of international students on campus, sharing the American tradition is a way of giving back to these students who contribute their own perspectives and cultural traditions to the Seton Hall community.
Dawn Jaeckel, manager of the Thanksgiving program, works to match-up students with host families and promotes this opportunity around campus.
“I hope that the participating students will not only learn about an American tradition, but will also enjoy the experience of spending time with an American family,” Jaeckel said. “From the family’s perspective, this program allows them to open their homes and share their blessings with someone who is far away from home—seems fitting when you think about what Thanksgiving is about and how it originated!”
Senior accounting student Mingyu Wu, who is from China, decided to take part in the program last fall as an opportunity to communicate with American families on a deeper level–an opportunity that is hard to find, Wu said.
“To be honest, it was also a good way to practice English,” Wu said.
Most of all, Wu sees the Thanksgiving program as a way for international students to make friends and connect with Americans. While the program allows international students to learn about American traditions, American families also learn about the students’ traditions. Linda Karten, senior director of Integrated Marketing at Seton Hall, who previously hosted two international business students, learned about the students’ lives in China and got a sense of what it is like for these students to study here in America.
“I encourage anyone who has room at their Thanksgiving table to get involved with this program,” Karten said. “It’s a simple way to do something nice for our students who are far away from home.”
Manager of the Thanksgiving program, Jaeckel hopes that the Thanksgiving program will grow from year to year, providing benefits for both students and their hosts.
“I think there is a lot of value for everyone who participates,” Jaeckel said.
Leah Carton can be reached at leah.carton@student.shu.edu.
