Intercultural Life Honors Students and Their Unique Cultural Backgrounds
Enrollment of international, U.S. ethnic minority and third culture students has grown by more than 11 percent over the past 20 years at Asbury.
Enrollment of international, U.S. ethnic minority and third culture students has grown by more than 11 percent over the past 20 years at Asbury. Thanks to the Office of Intercultural Life’s new location on the third floor of the Rader Student Center, there is space for these students to gather and be supported, complete with a lounge and a conference room for student leaders to plan events and programs. Through the generosity of a donor, the lounge is consistently stocked with teas, snacks, and sweets from local markets that represent the students’ home countries.
The new community space is an extension of the many resources the Office of Intercultural Life provides for the students it serves, from the Intercultural New Student Asbury’s Intercultural Life Honors Students and Their Unique Cultural Backgrounds Orientation (INSO) at the beginning of the school year to monthly student alliance gatherings and cultural heritage festivals. Students experience numerous opportunities to adjust to campus life while still celebrating their cultural backgrounds and can also share their home cultures with their peers.
Dr. Dawn Kilian is in her third year as director of Intercultural Life. Throughout her tenure, she has focused on building a campus-wide intercultural community through a balance of events for the entire campus to celebrate different cultural traditions represented in Asbury’s student body, as well as events on and off campus for members of these intercultural groups.
In September, students received transportation support and money to purchase authentic cuisine at Lexington’s Latino Festival. Intercultural Life’s immersive trip to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati supplied lunch and transportation to and from the museum. Recently, students enjoyed KPOT Korean BBQ and Hot Pot’s authentic Asian food to celebrate the Lunar New Year.
Another feature of Intercultural Life is the opportunity for student leadership and growth which Kilian names as another priority of her work with the student leaders of each alliance group. The Black, Latino, Asian, and International Student Alliances and MuKappa (missionary students and third-culture students) each have two student leaders who plan events and provide support to the students in their group. In addition to alliance leaders, the Office of Intercultural Life also has interns who facilitate office tasks and help support the entire intercultural student body.
“My favorite part of being involved with Intercultural Life has been one-on-one time with other students,” said Melissa Richard ’24, an intern with Intercultural Life for the 2023-2024 school year. “I’m so thankful for the opportunity to witness ways in which they have grown in their walk of faith and plugged into campus life!”
On April 5, the organization kicked off its inaugural Festival of Nations: a combined celebration of all of Asbury’s cultural heritage groups.
You can read personal stories from several of these students and find more information on the Intercultural Life website.
Job Experience in a Global Setting
A Cross Cultural Experience (CCE) is a requirement amongst undergrad students in order to strengthen their abilities in interacting with the world community, to expand their worldview, and to increase their cultural sensitivity. Asbury’s Deese Initiative Program (formerly the Asbury Initiative Program) gives Asbury students the opportunity to explore vocational, global service opportunities prior to graduation, with the intent of potentially empowering a new generation of long-term international service.
Founded in 2003, the former Asbury Initiative Program was established with a pledge of $1 million from Phyllis McRoberts ’53 West and her husband, Stephen R. West, in honor of the life and ministry of Ernest M. Steury, M.D. ’53 and Mrs. Jennie Sue Groce ’54 Steury who served as missionaries in Kenya with World Gospel Mission.
The program received permanent funds and rebranding from Wynelle Scott ’61 Deese in 2020 allowing it to continue as one of the most incredible opportunities on campus for students.
The Judge and Mrs. J.W. Deese Initiative Program continues to further the purpose of volunteer work in the areas of international community, social and economic development, public wellness and treatment, literacy and education, and other public services in developing countries.
The Deese grant awards students funds to fully cover a five-to-eight-week service experience in a developing country, plus a $300/week stipend to cover lost wages in the summer.
Six recipients have traveled across the globe in the past two years thanks to the Deese Initiative Program. Some of the vocational focuses for mission services include history, global health communications, social work, and equine-assisted services.
To help fund the Deese Initiative Grant to impact future students, visit asbury.edu/give.