School Of Pharmacy Hosts World Fair

The CU World Fair on April 22 will help students broaden their horizons, said Brenda Reid, the director of international student services.

“Some students have not had the opportunity to travel beyond their state or region of America,” she said, “so this is their opportunity to become a world traveler and really branch out and to experience things that they have not yet or may not get to in the near future.”

The fair will include ethnic food, live music – a salsa band and an international worship time – and other activities, such as folk dances, a photo spot for getting pictures taken at different sites around the world and games, including a mini World Cup.

The world fair is sponsored by Cedarville’s school of pharmacy and Walgreens through Walgreens’ $10,000 donation to promote diversity and inclusion across Cedarville’s campus, particularly in the school of pharmacy. This is the second consecutive year Walgreens has given to Cedarville’s school of pharmacy, and their gift is part of the $1 million the company gives annually to accredited pharmacy schools to promote diversity.

Ginger Cameron, assistant dean of assessment and assistant professor of pharmacy practice, is managing the funding this year. She decided to sponsor a diversity event because Walgreens asked that the funding go toward scholarships in the school of pharmacy and promoting inclusion and diversity both on campus and in the school of pharmacy.

Cameron contacted Catherine Hernandez, the multicultural admissions specialist, to host the diversity event, and Hernandez turned it into a world fair.

“I knew (Catherine) was involved heavily with diversity and cultural awareness on campus,” Cameron said, “so we wanted to host an event, but I really wanted somebody to handle it who had an expertise in that area.”

Hernandez asked Reid to help plan the fair as well.They are getting students and faculty to put together displays of different regions of the world and to cook the food.

Reid said the CU World Fair will represent more cultures and continents than have been represented in previous diversity events.

“We’re thinking, rather than have a table for every country and have some of them not represented, we’ll have every continent represented and have certain countries represented as well,” she said.
Hernandez said, “There are so many different cultures out there, and so many beautiful ways to live, and America is not the only way.”

The world fair begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Dixon Ministry Center Alumni Hall.

Jen Taggart is a freshman journalism major and reporter for Cedars. She enjoys writing, listening to music and fueling her chocolate addiction.