Over 15 Countries Represented at Millbrook's World Culture & Food Festival
Millbrook students and faculty hosted a successful World Culture & Food Festival on April 23rd. Over 50 students and faculty worked with Co-International Student Coordinators Eleni Stefanopoulos '92 and Katherine Matheson to prepare foods representative of over 15 countries for the Millbrook community to enjoy.
Students and faculty began planning for the event in March, and all students were invited to share food from their home region or a country that they are passionate about. Together they organized trips to speciality grocers, as well as timelines for where and when to prepare the food. Traditional homemade foods were prepared to represent many countries including Austria, China, Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Italy, Puerto Rico, Russia, Vietnam, and more.
“Millbrook School is very wealthy in its diversity of students,” said World Language Department faculty member and International Student Co-Coordinator Eleni Stefanopoulos '92. “Events like the International Food Festival, allow the Millbrook School community to become more aware of the cultural diversity that exists on campus, and I hope it encourages us all to embrace the uniqueness that each member of the school brings.”
The World Culture & Food Festival is one of many events, forums, and conferences that students and faculty have participated in throughout the academic year to explore what diversity means at Millbrook and beyond. This includes the Student Diversity Leadership Conference in Florida, which was attended by six Millbrook students in December.
“The World Culture & Food Festival is not only fun, but also important because it provides an opportunity for our community to come together to celebrate and learn about culture in a casual environment,” said Grayce Haudenschield ’17 who helped organize the event. “It is comforting to have a taste of home, literally! And, the food is delicious, too,” she said.
Events, forums, and conferences offer opportunities for informal and thoughtful discussions around complex topics like diversity. In these settings, students and faculty share, connect, and reflect, which informs their actions on and off campus, ultimately empowering them to better our immediate community and the larger world. Please visit our photo gallery for images from the World Culture & Food Festival.
