Bridging the Gap: The Voice of International Students Can Make A Difference.

 Nkechi Ndukwe          Feature Writing:  Bridging the Gap: The Voice of      International Students Can Make a Difference.

 Bridging the Gap: The Voice of International Students Can Make A Difference.

There is a voice on University Campuses and all around societies that is yearning to be heard.  This is the voice of international citizens living in America. Whether, a descendent of non-American lineage or the voice of a student that has moved from their home country to attend school in America, there is an importance of cultural enlightenment that traditional American student can learn from students with diverse cultural lifestyles.

As of June 2013, I became a participant in the Miss Nigeria In America Pageant. The Miss Nigeria In America Pageant is a cultural pageant for women eighteen to twenty-nine with the goal of collaborating Nigerian-American born women with Nigerian women that moved to the United States. Undermining the definition of the word pageant, Miss Nigeria In America participants are ambassadors for Nigerian culture, women’s rights, education, and health. This contest was not only about beauty, but also from my personal experience, I learned about what it means to be Nigerian as well as learning that I stand in the gap between Nigeria and America.

Although not a visible division, there is a cultural divide. American students are reluctant to learn about other cultures around the world. As a Nigerian-American woman, I know I must be a reflection of two cultures. Through the lessons learned, during the Miss Nigerian In America pageant, such as leadership skills, the most beneficial skill I learned was how to subtly embrace my culture without making people uncomfortable.

With the knowledge received from the pageant, I now decided to participate in Albany State University’s annual International Week 2013. As a four-year student, in attendance at Albany State University, my appreciation for my culture was regressed due to my need to socialize with my peers. With prior knowledge of international week, I did not participate in the activities until my senior year.  During international week, I felt comfortable speaking with my peers, of both American and of International origin, about the shamefulness and ignorance of hiding ones culture, because culture essentially shapes our personality and us as person.

As Miss Lagos in America, under the Miss Nigeria In America Pageant, Dr. Nnneka Osakwe and Instructor Maggie Emily offered me the responsibility of coordinating and hosting the International Week fashion show, under the supervision of Professor Sandra Washington.  Having this responsibility, I not only wanted to showcase my culture and the clothes that Nigerians and Africans wear; but also I wanted the international students to have confidence about their cultures and know that the only harm in not embracing the diverse cultures of the world, is not letting the knowledge of cultures to be heard.

As a Nigerian American woman, it is of importance that I share my culture to eliminate the ignorance of Americans has toward other cultures due to what the media portrays. The Miss Nigeria In America Pageant or International Week event such as these reflects the importance to embrace each other will surely rid the misconceptions of a superior cultural group. Society as a whole needs to realize though physically different, we share one planet therefore society must learn to share cultural knowledge; if society wants to learn to cooperate together then we need more international students that are willing to speak up for who and what their culture represents.