Many students on campus may have noticed a gradual increase of events hosted by Lawrence International (LI), including a Pumpkin Painting Festival, a cultural dinner with the Korean Culture Club , a Lunar New Year celebration and many more.
Several events have been initiated by president of LI and current sophomore Giang Pham, who is majoring in psychology with a cognitive science minor. For those who know Pham, you may see her with a brisk walk and an infectious smile upon her face.
For Pham, assuming the role of president was a stressful endeavor, though one of necessity for her hopes for LI. She stated that the initial invitation for the role of president was “scary” for her in the beginning, and she considered that she might not do a good enough job or live up to such an expectation. Evidently, she rose to each occasion that LI asked of her. Her attraction to LI was to celebrate more cultures on campus, stating, “I really like to learn more about others, and was surprised with how many international students there are at Lawrence when I first came here.”
Pham credited the stability of LI to other board members, including Director of International Student Services Lacy Frewerd, who was a steady hand that “would keep calm, especially during Lunar New Year, [when] we were confronted with a lot of aesthetic problems, and as an individual Lacy dealt with these internal issues calmly,” says Pham. “I got to see a way of dealing with situations when working with her.”
The biggest event for LI is Cabaret, an annual performance that aims to showcase dance, fashion, and music, in tandem with culture. This year’s event featured twelve performances. For Pham, planning started from the first moment the club met for the year, as the theme for this Cabaret was decided in Fall Term. Ultimately, the theme was a bold one: “Adult Swim.” The theme was inspired by television programming aimed at adults that carried nostalgia. Pham explained the theme as one of “cultural unity, harmony, and the showcasing of childhood games, and traditional games. I’m always very proud of games that I played in my youth in my journey of becoming an adult. We are introducing the concept of childhood, from memories to relationships.”
Pham also stated that Cabaret is “a way of showcasing your culture to other people [with a] sense of pride, and harmony, and introducing music to campus.”
Because of ongoing changes in the LI board during the year, the current board consists of: junior Daisy Nguyen (Treasurer), junior Jean Nguyen (Creative Manager), sophomore Wardah Basil (Communications Building Chair), Sofie Le (Community Building Chair), junior Nikki Kim (Event Coordinator), junior Sophie Kelley (Event Coordinator), and first-year Alison Nguyen (Event Coordinator).
The role of president is coming to an end for Pham, and after much work she reflected on what she’s gained: “I’m good at event preparations. I have intuition.”
Additionally, she admitted honestly and bluntly, “There were a lot of times I did want to give up, though everything would pay off in the end from the feeling of seeing people [together]. The intercultural collaboration between cultural organizations was not separate, but together. For me, it was a continuing effort to do more collaboration.”
Pham’s passion amounted to more than just a couple hours, for LI was always at the back of her mind and time was always spent rapidly working on the days leading up to an event. For Pham, her plan in the future is to study abroad, but she hopes to stay as an advisor or a board member for LI. Her urgency and interest in LI’s future is captured in her saying there is more “space available for us, [and] I would like to see more events in the future.”
The sentiment that Pham ended with is one of community, a gaining of connection and collaboration and a hope that more will join LI in the coming years.