Set in a decorated Student Center Ballroom, the annual Recognition Banquet honored international students deserving recognition for outstanding academic achievements and significant contributions to the University, showcasing the important role international students play on Auburn’s campus.
The banquet was hosted by the International Student Organization for the12th time on Monday night.
The students, according to the outgoing president of ISO, Mingyu Zhou, embody the best of Auburn’s international community and deserve nothing more than to be presented with such recognition.
Deans of different colleges were contacted to nominate the top international students in both the undergraduate and graduate programs. Deans nominated students based on GPA, leadership skills and a willingness to help others create a multicultural environment.
From the College of Liberal Arts: Shabnam Habib, Sofia Rodriguez and Jose Ortis Rodriguez; University College: Ellie Leek and Weijie Hou; College of Agriculture: Kritika Malhorta, Hanoi Medina, Xuechen Feng and Romi Novriadi; Samuel Ginn College of Engineering: Mingie Feng, Chengyun Miao, Devarshi Shah, Thuc Ngoc Nguyen, Xuan Dung Nguyen and Weisa Wang; Harrison School of Pharmacy: Yassar Altawi, Younis Abiedalla and Byul Ah You; College of Sciences and Mathematics: Adesole Olatunde, Kosala Yapa Bandura and Nirmal Kumar Mitra.
From the College of Architecture, Design and Construction: Huanyun Wang, Rui Wang, Najam Us Saqib, Xixuan Wang, Yunfan Lin and Qibo Sun; School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences: Zhuonan Wang and John Mensah; Raymond J. Harbert College of Business: Jialin Yuan, Claire Brien, Meiying Cui and Alexander Hancock; College of Veterinary Medicine: Likun Yang and Leah McGlinchey; College of Human Sciences: Erol Sozen and Menglin Wei; College of Education: Belinda Casimir-Patton, Loriane Dos Santos Favoretto, Amal Alenzi and Klas Olle Thestrup.
Special awards were awarded to the Bangladesh Student Organization for the ISO Social Hour Host of the Year and the Chinese Students and Scholars Organization for the most popular organization display at the ISO World’s Fair.
The Recognition Banquet began with a welcoming from the outgoing and incoming ISO presidents and a keynote speech from Director of International Student and Scholars Services Obrad Budic. Budic congratulated the recipients on their accomplishments and expressed his pride in the possibilities that lie in their futures.
“I do know that we have great potential here,” Budic said. “I just want to say thank you for coming here and reaching the lives of other international students and also Americans because you are the best of the best. Keep up the good work and stay passionate in your work.”
Outgoing ISO President Mingyu Zhou shared her pride and care for the Recognition Banquet as it marked the last event she would host as president of the ISO.
“It’s the last event for the outgoing group and the beginning for the incoming group," Zhou said. "That’s something special."
Zhou spoke about the accomplishments of ISO in the last year, which she said have successfully fostered fellowship and diversity across Auburn’s campus. Accomplishments included the growth of the organization’s weekly Friday “Social Hour” and the biannual Peace Dinner to promote a more inclusive Auburn, which saw a growth from 350 attendees to 3300.
Other achievements included the ISO soccer tournament, won by the African Student Association, and the World’s Fair with over 600 students participating in the event to display an array of cultures to the student body.
“We want to show everyone that something is not wrong, it’s just different,” Zhou said.
The ISO is focused on its mission of fostering international relations across Auburn’s campus and multicultural understanding to promote diversity and beneficial interactions between all students. The ISO also seeks to ease the adaptation process for international students.
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