Building communities and connection at the Global Center
The Global Center is a thriving focal point for international involvement, where Arizona International (AZI) units, including Study Abroad and International Student Services (ISS), cultivate engaging, student-oriented experiences that encourage global education and intercultural connections.
The Global Center serves as an active location for international engagement, where Arizona International (AZI) units, including Study Abroad and International Student Services (ISS), create student-centered experiences that promote global learning and cross-cultural connections. From casual social events like Friday@Global to interactive workshops celebrating National Study Abroad Day, the Global Center fosters a welcoming space where students can meet peers, explore new opportunities, and expand their horizons. These initiatives not only help international students feel at home but also encourage all students to engage with global perspectives, reinforcing the U of A’s commitment to internationalization and student success.
The most recent Friday@Global featured a game night, where students enjoyed a variety of board and card games, along with snacks and drinks. The energy was high as students met new people and engaged in some friendly competition.
Friday@Global is a very popular recurring event that is hosted once a month, usually at the Global Center. Past events have included Lunar New Year celebrations and casual arts and crafts nights.
“These events are very special,” said Svetlana Popovic, an international student advisor at ISS. “It gets the international students to come together and enjoy food, meet new students, and just play games. It's a very good atmosphere, but also very welcoming.”
The most recent Friday@Global featured a game night, where students enjoyed a variety of board and card games, along with snacks and drinks. The energy was high as students met new people and engaged in some friendly competition.
Friday@Global is a great example of how casual events can bring students together, encourage them to step out of their comfort zones, and create a fun, welcoming atmosphere.
“I love coming to any ISS event because it's a good way to socialize with people,” said Ishani Jayant Nikhade, a freshman at the U of A from India majoring in ecology and evolutionary biology. “You meet many people from your country, and it's great to see them in a place that's completely new.”
Global Ambassadors play an active role in every event, ensuring that attendees always have someone to turn to. These student leaders take pride in being a supportive and reliable presence for international students and the broader U of A community.
“One of the most important reasons to attend these events is the networking for international students,” said Global Ambassador Harshit Khatwani, a junior, studying journalism and global studies. “I think this is an important event, to just meet people, maybe from your major or your country or from your region, so you can just connect with them and maybe make a good friend.”
Beyond regular gatherings, the Global Center hosts other special events that encourage students to explore new opportunities and plan for their future.
In celebration of National Study Abroad Day, students and peer advisors gathered at the Global Center for a creative workshop, crafting vision boards and imagining their future study abroad experiences.
Most recently, in celebration of National Study Abroad Day, students and peer advisors gathered for a creative workshop, crafting vision boards and imagining their future study abroad experiences.
Studying abroad can be a transformative experience, exposing students to new cultures, perspectives, and opportunities. That’s why Study Abroad is committed to promoting these programs and encouraging students to explore global learning experiences.
“The workshop is a good event just to network, speak about your options, speak to staff and other students like you that are similar in goals, and make friends,” said Karina Daniel, a Gilman peer advisor majoring in political science. “Studying abroad opens the doors for you to get out of your comfort zone. To become more social. Not only that, but to also expand your global network and know that there are other options outside of the U.S., for you to look into for your future.”
For a few hours, the Study Abroad drop-in space transformed into a vibrant workshop, inviting students to explore and visualize the experiences they could have if they chose to study abroad.
Snacks and drinks were offered to complement the participants' busy hands as they cut, pasted, and arranged images and words to bring their study abroad dreams to life.
“Today's event is the Study Abroad Vision Board,” said Jacob Eavis, Study Abroad recruitment manager. “The idea here was just to do a fun, creative kind of arts and crafts activity, help students think about study abroad and kind of engage with that process. We wanted to create something a little more fun than just a standard workshop or info session and play to students' strengths as visual people and study abroad strengths. Kind of seeing the world and inviting them into this space since this is where we do our peer advising and drop-in hours.”
As students exchanged ideas and discussed their study abroad aspirations, they channeled their excitement into crafting vision boards, all while music played in the background, adding to the lively and creative atmosphere.
“I think that it's really important that students, as they're preparing to study abroad, they visualize their goals, what they want to accomplish, what they hope to do, everything from academics to fun trips and other countries and things they want to try and see and eat,” said Daphne Johnson, Study Abroad program manager. “One thing is to get students excited, but, also to prime them to put their thoughts and ideas on paper.”
Through events like Friday@ Global and the Study Abroad Vision Board Workshop AZI continues to create spaces where students can learn, connect, and grow together. Whether through casual gatherings or structured workshops, these experiences help students build friendships, expand their networks, and envision their futures.