Auburn's Outreach Global Office will host its fourth annual Global Community Day Festival on April 5 on Cater Lawn. Free to anyone in the Lee County community, the event will feature arts and crafts, food trucks and a fashion exhibition.
OGO was founded in 2016 by Elizabeth Quansah, who currently serves as the director of the office. Their goal is to encourage engagement with global communities and immerse students into different cultures.
Quansah, originally from Ghana, was inspired to create the celebration of cultures by similar international festivals she attended in Indiana and Washington, D.C. After moving to Auburn and joining the international community, Quansah wanted to showcase and celebrate the diversity of the area.
“I think the more that people get to appreciate that we are all almost the same, [that] we are connected on a certain level, it really encourages collaboration. It is really encouraging a lot of multicultural learning,” Quansah said.
Attendees at the 2023 Global Community Day Festival pose for a picture.
With more than 800 attendees at last year’s festival, the impact of OGO in the Lee County area is far-reaching and eager to share their values with the community.
“We want to encourage unity, understanding and collaboration,” Quansah said.
OGO also sponsors non-traditional and short-term study abroad opportunities for students and global education and research programs for faculty. Through encouraging education, innovation and global sustainability, the programs help students and faculty apply their experience around the world.
Auburn’s International Student Organization is a co-host and sponsor of the festival. ISO has a similar mission to OGO, aiming to promote relationships between students of different cultures, both domestic and foreign.
Akila Abesinghe is the student government liaison and head of council for ISO. With nearly 2,500 international students at Auburn, Abesinghe emphasized the importance of students exploring the traditions and values of other cultures.
“Our main goal is [that] we are trying to teach our cultures to American people, so local students and community members can get experiences with other cultures," Abesinghe said.
Children are served food at the "Taste of Korea" booth at the 2024 Global Community Day Festival.
Anyone in Lee County and the surrounding areas is invited and encouraged to attend to expand their cultural horizons.
“We have an Auburn international student community, and also outside of the university, we have some people from other countries. They are doing jobs here and their children go to Auburn High School and Auburn Elementary School. In this event, all the international people, community people and international students in Auburn, we all get together, and we are trying to celebrate our cultures,” Abesinghe said.
Multiple international student groups, such as the Nepalese, Indian, Pakistani and Sri Lankan student associations will be tabling at the event as part of the international fair.
The Parade of Flags marks the official beginning of the festival. Attendees are encouraged to participate by carrying the flag of one of more than 20 countries represented.
There will also be a variety of cuisines and food trucks, as food is an important reflection of a culture. At previous Global Community Day Festivals, volunteers and participants prepared signature cultural dishes for everyone to taste.
“When I went to the festival last year, my favorite part was trying the different international foods and the performances. There were so many different things to try, and it was cool to see the dances and songs from different cultures,” said Jess Lee, a junior at Auburn.
In addition to the assortment of foods, the festival will feature musical, dance and spoken word performances by international organizations in the Lee County area.
From 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., the festivities will take place on Cater Lawn. For more information and the full itinerary, visit OGO’s website.
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