The sunset beamed across the bayou giving an amazing view from the terrace of the seventh floor of the library. Wearing styles that reflected their different cultures, ULM students lined up to take prom pictures—some for the very first time.
Global Ambassadors hosted their first International Prom last Thursday. It brought together not only international students, but also domestic students.
ULM students from across the globe got the chance to dance, socialize and have a great time together at the prom.
Prom is a huge part of American culture that isn’t celebrated in every country. Because of this, Global Ambassadors saw this event as the perfect opportunity to reach out to ULM’s international students and create a sense of community between all students, domestic or international alike.
“We had several international students who asked for us to bring an international prom to campus,” said Luke Arsement, president of Global Ambassadors.
At one point during the night, a line of chairs was pulled to the center of the dance floor and an impromptu game of musical chairs broke out.
The game brought back nostalgia from many American childhoods as students danced from chair to chair.
“It was nice to bond with all the international students because we were able to learn some of their cultural dances, and they were able to pick up on a few of our own,” said Shania Lewis, a sophomore social work major.
One international student, Prachanda Adhikari, is thankful for the American friends he has made at ULM, some through Global Ambassadors.
“American friends have helped me blend with their culture with equal respect,” said Adhikari, an international student from Nepal.
Global Ambassadors event planner, Jamariuana Thomas, said she feels hopeful about the future of International Prom.
“Global Ambassadors is hoping to make this an annual event,” Thomas said. “We try to do one event per semester, and hopefully the International Prom will live on through the next couple of years.”
Many international students also want International Prom to become an annual event.
“ULM Global Ambassadors have been playing a role of a strong bridge between national and international students and even between the international students as well,” Adhikari said.
ULM Global Ambassadors was formed in 2016. Before then, very few international students were active in both the Student Government Association and Campus Activities Board. But now, not even three years after the start of Global Ambassadors, four out of five members of the executive board on CAB are international students.
Many of those, including president of CAB Sarthak Neupane, were the founders of Global Ambassadors.
As of now, International Prom is projected to return next year and hopes to outgrow the seventh floor of the library to an even bigger scene.