Fresh out of winter break and a few weeks into the second semester, the Dickinson International Potluck team put together a heartwarming event in the HUB that brought together students from every year and background for a potluck night. The Dickinsonian sat down for a quick chat with Olivia Yu ’24, one of the potluck’s event planners, to discuss the night’s event.
Every semester, both international and domestic students have the chance to cook up a dish based on their own culture to bring to the potluck and experience each other’s cultures through cuisine. Yu and the planning team began preparing for the potluck last semester. The team prepared a budget for students who needed financial assistance acquiring certain ingredients, figuring out transportation for catering services, coming up with a theme for the event, preparing speeches and games, advertising it and more.
This semester’s potluck went much more smoothly than last semester’s, according to Yu. The potluck began with registrations and bonding games for students before dining. Since the key point of the potluck is always to foster connections and community, students socialized throughout the evening. Groups were divided into threes and fours, which were then instructed to find another group to sit with. Each table of the newly comprised groups played Kahoot, navigating through questions on cultural dishes together. The dinner began soon after, and students delighted in the multicultural dishes, ranging from halal food to vegan and a variety of desserts and drinks. The dinner concluded with the performance by the Infernos and a QR code for students to provide feedback, all new additions to this semester’s event.
The gathering showcased not only the team’s incredible organizational skills and dedication to the international and domestic community of Dickinson, but also the importance of cultural exchange and community building on campus. Undoubtedly, the International Potluck has exciting possibilities in the future and is sure to last as a beloved tradition honoring Dickinson’s long history of cross-cultural interaction and community spirit.
