In a season of holidays, it is easy to overlook December 20, which is recognized as International Human Solidarity Day. Proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2005, International Human Solidarity Day was created to promote the values of solidarity and cooperation among people across the globe. These values are shared by the diverse family of students, faculty and alumni of WNMU who have been working together to strengthen cross-cultural understanding.
One of these people is MBA student Rita Escalante Alegria (BS ’22), who serves as co-president of the International Student Association. Escalante, who is from Sonora, Mexico, is one of the students that worked to establish the new International Student Association on campus.
This student organization has collaborated with the Admissions office to create an orientation program geared toward international students, and they have organized other events, such as a panel discussion at this year’s WNMU Academic and Research Symposium.
These kinds of activities are crucial to fostering solidarity among diverse students, said Escalante. “Through the establishment of a welcoming and inclusive environment, the International Student Association (ISA) significantly contributes to the development of student collaboration,” she said, “Students from all cultural origins can share and celebrate their traditions, beliefs, and values in a space that ISA offers. Additionally, it acts as a social core for interactions between international students.”
Escalante added, “ISA essentially fosters collaboration, tolerance, and a respect of diversity within WNMU by establishing an active and welcoming community.”
WNMU currently has 67 international students, representing 17 different nations.
This inclusive environment broadens the minds of students who are US citizens, and it fosters success for those students that attend WNMU from other nations said Richard Mubanga (BBA ’22), an MBA student from Africa and former president of the Associated Students of WNMU. “I am the first person in my family to attend college outside my home country, Zambia,” he said, “My journey here at Western New Mexico University has been amazing. At first, I felt alienated because of being in a strange land, but I have been able to meet amazing people . . . that have made this place feel like home—friends that will last a lifetime and professors who have not just been educators but mentors who have pushed me to be the best version of myself.”
For some, the diverse, collaborative environment that is WNMU can be life-changing. Said recent graduate Oscar Arteaga Romero (MA ’23), “Studying at Western New Mexico University has been one of the most impactful experiences in my life.”