With tantalizing aromas from around the world circulating in the Centrum, dozens of students and community members from around Fargo-Moorhead gathered to share a meal and build relationships at the first International Potluck event held on campus.
International Potluck is a local organization started by 2001 Concordia College graduate Peter Schott as a way of welcoming New Americans into the community and helping bridge cross-cultural gaps, with food serving as a comfort conduit.
Schott and Alan Christenson, who works in the college’s Advancement office, had been working together to have the college host one of the global feasts.
“Concordia‘s mission tells us that our purpose is to influence the affairs of the world, and it seems only right that to fulfill that mission we must allow the world to influence us in return,” Christenson said. “Often we view ‘the world’ in a very broad sense; it is somewhere ‘out there.’ We need only look around this room to see that ‘the world’ is right here. It is right in front of us every day in the people we meet, around us in the community we share, and within this institution in the international, New American, and American students of color we welcome each new school year.”
Before attendees piled their plates with dishes such as samosas, fried plantains, and spiced beans and rice, they heard from students who are playing an integral part in helping shape the future of the college.
“Concordia is changing, and Fargo-Moorhead is changing as well,” said Jesus Gonzalez Ruiz ‘25, Student Government Association president. “Today‘s a reflection of that change. Today is the moment of change and, hopefully, a moment that will last with us for years to come.”
Siam Shimul ‘25, a student leader with the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Commission and International Student Organization, shared how growing up in Bangladesh and being immersed in a “rich tapestry of traditions, languages, and beliefs,” instilled values of curiosity, resilience, and “unwavering appreciation for the beauty of diversity.”
He’s using that experience and lessons learned while attending United World College in New Mexico with students from 90 countries to help others at Concordia.
“Concordia College welcomed me with open arms, providing a nurturing environment for personal and academic growth,” he said, adding how being involved in various student organizations and events like International Potluck instills a sense of unity on campus.
“Here‘s to embracing our journey, celebrating diversity, and working together to create a better world, a more connected world,” he said.
Several local nonprofits were also on hand to provide resources to students and others as they navigate their lives in a new country. Sponsoring the event were Cardinal IG and Eventide Senior Living as businesses that have employment policies that support New Americans.