Josh Imhof | features editor

As a kid, Gaby Garcia grew up in the warm beach state of Veracruz, Mexico. But during her junior year of high school, she moved to the United States with her family for her father’s job.

The move landed her in Pittsburgh, where she attended Seneca Valley High School. Despite knowing English, beginning her senior year as a new student and the large class sizes made it difficult.

“It was hard for me because your dream is to graduate with your friends,” Garcia said.

Four years later, the president of the International Students Organization (ISO) said she has found her place.

“That didn’t make me feel unmotivated. My dream was always to study in the U.S.,” Garcia said. “With ISO, I started that network with that chain of people that put me where I am today.”

On April 9, she and her organization hosted ISO Night, an annual celebration of students and their cultures from around the world. The event featured artistic performances from acts like the Tamburitzans, as well as other local groups such as Yanlai Dance Academy, Nandanik Dance Troupe and the Musuhallpa Latin American Band, a group that Garcia and her family play in. Students were invited to eat, sing and dance.

Ismail Safy, event coordinator for ISO, said this cultural exchange is at the heart of the organization.

“We gotta celebrate [cultural differences] instead of weeding them out,” he said.

Safy is an international student who came to Duquesne by way of Morocco, Africa. Other than having lots of bridges, he said he did not know anything about Pittsburgh before he arrived.

However, what he did know was that he liked the small size of Duquesne’s biology program compared to those of larger state schools where it is easier for international students to slip through the cracks. He applied and was accepted.

“Two months later I had my two suitcases, and I flew across the Atlantic,” Safy said. “It was one of the best experiences of my life.”

Like Garcia, he said adjusting to life in a new country came with its challenges. He found that cultural norms in Morocco, like cheek kissing when greeting people, are much less common in the United States. Safy also had to adjust to the slang used by English speakers in America.

“It’s just super different, but you gotta get used to it,” he said.

At ISO events, these differences are celebrated, and conversation flows and switches freely between languages. Learning about different cultures is just as important as expressing their own, Safy said.

The organization features students from countries and continents all over the world, including Asia, South America, Europe and Africa.

“We do events to bring people who are far from home together,” said Ariam Alshehri, vice president of ISO.

Growing up in Saudi Arabia, Alshehri said she and her friends have always had an interest and open-mindedness when it comes to other cultures. This curiosity led her to join ISO.

Beyond ISO Night, past events include Friendsgiving, a Mardi Gras Carnival Night and Christmas Around the World.

“I feel like it’s super important to share who we are as individuals,” Safy said. “We’re made in a country, and now we’re transported to another one. We hold this cultural heritage”

Josh Imhof can be reached at imhofj@duq.edu