CSUSM’S Office of Global Education hosted their first multi-campus international student virtual showcase event in conjunction with San Diego State University (SDSU), UC San Diego (UCSD) and the University of San Diego on April 15.

Danielle McMartin, director of Global Education, introduced the showcase and the representatives of each participating school: Bianca Chau of SDSU, Ayushi Agrawal of UCSD and Chia-Yen Len of the University of San Diego.

A total of nearly 20 international students participated in the showcase, submitting work that ranged from videos and poems to drawings and performances. Each student expressed their artistic talent celebrating what it means to be an international student, the importance of diversity and how they’ve navigated COVID-19.

CSUSM’s international student submissions were showcased first in the virtual event. The first was a video collaboration between two brothers from Mozambique, Jordan and Gabriel Silva. The video touched on being an international student and living two lives in two different countries.

Another CSUSM student, Kelly Ibarra, submitted a photo essay titled “What are we going to do with all this future?” and a photo collection called “Roots.” Her inspiration came from the pandemic and her home country Mexico.

SDSU student Niveditha Ramadoss’ submission was a video about her dream and journey from India to San Diego.

All the work from the students was original and creative. As the presentations continued there was nothing but praise and positive energy in the virtual event.

There were two pre-recorded performances by students. Emerson Xu of UCSD recorded a piano piece just for the showcase. Daniel Alvarez, a student from the University of San Diego, sang Spanish songs, accompanied by Edgar Olivera on keyboards.

The showcase ended with McMartin praising all the submissions and adding that if students wanted to stay longer to talk amongst themselves, they were more than welcome to.

For more information on the Office of Global Education, visit their website or Instagram.

Magali Castillo is a recent transfer student to CSUSM majoring in Literature and Writing Studies with a minor in Global Studies. She was born and raised in Los Angeles. This is her first year as a staff writer for The Cougar Chronicle. She is also a content writer for Tasteless.Studio that is based in Los Angeles. She likes to write about current events, racial injustice, mental health and anything that is taking place in the world.