The World On A Platter

Last week, international classmates and colleagues were extra busy, preparing snacks and displays from their home regions. Many helping hands from all sides of campus pitched in, and by Friday, boxes of decorative items were stacked on floors, and containers of food items stored in freezers or fridges across campus and town.

On Saturday, they were all lovingly set up in the Shaw Center, ready for the Graceland community to discover and explore at the Intercultural Celebration. Its official start was marked by a grand entry of the participants by country, representing nearly all continents and regions from Africa and Asia over the Americas to Europe and Oceania—an international lineup that this university can be very proud of.

The guests traveled along the presentation tables, armed with sample cups and plates that quickly piled up with delicacies from around the globe. Each table also presented food for thought, serving up sweet and savory bits of cultural background information, and many guests were eager to learn more. Kids could collect a sticker for each country they visited in their ‘passport’.

For two very special hours, the Shaw lobby was filled with world music and all that connects us across continental and national borders: curiosity, conversation, and culinary delights. The 2025 Intercultural Celebration truly was a taste of this wonder- and colorful world that Graceland University is at home in.