by Courtney Van Hoosen | Office of Global Strategies
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On May 2, the Office of Global Strategies and Nebraska Alumni Association welcomed more than 250 guests to celebrate graduating international students from the 2018-2019 academic year.
Graduates from August 2018, December 2018 and May 2019 commencement ceremonies were invited to celebrate their Husker journey and next steps with university leadership, faculty and staff, and close family and friends. Over 70 international alumni attended, representing 25 countries at the reception.
This year’s special guest speakers included Josh Davis, Interim Associate Vice Chancellor for International Engagement and Global Strategies; Donde Plowman, Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Academic Officer; and Shelley Zaborowski, Executive Director of the Nebraska Alumni Association. Chancellor Ronnie Green also stopped by the reception to congratulate the students.
Davis began the reception with opening remarks, highlighting the diversity of guests present and congratulating the international alumni on their many incredible accomplishments during their time at UNL. After his remarks, Davis introduced the premiere of the 2019 International Student Video.
Watch the video here.
As the final scene of the video concluded with a graduate’s message of “Go Big Red,” Plowman congratulated the international alumni and encouraged them to be great leaders.
“So many of our domestic students will never study abroad,” Plowman said to the graduates. “But you came from all over the world—from China, India, Pakistan, Rwanda and more—to Nebraska… Thank you for bringing the world to Nebraska.”
Zaborowski followed Plowman’s remarks and spoke about the value of being an engaged Nebraska alum and the endurance of being in the Nebraska family, even if one leaves the state.
“So when you came to Nebraska, you came as strangers. You worked here and studied here and played here as friends,” Zaborowski said. “And now, you are leaving as family.”
To close the formal program, international graduates were recognized by college to take group photos with the traveling Husker Flag. The Flag Project is organized by the Alumni Association in celebration of the university’s 150th anniversary and will showcase the institution’s global reach as it travels around the world to various alumni.
View photos from the Reception here.
The Office of Global Strategies would like to sincerely thank the Nebraska Alumni Association for their gracious partnership in hosting the reception again. We are extremely grateful for the support of Shelley Zaborowski, Derek Engelbart, Kevin Wright, Deb Schwab and Stephen Boggs.