Tag Archives: Culture

International students embrace American culture at Wyoming High School, gain education money can’t buy

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Wyoming High School provides a once-in-a-lifetime experience for five foreign exchange students (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)

By Deborah Reed

WKTV Managing Editor

deborah@wktv.org

Five foreign exchange students representing four countries embarked on a journey that led them to Wyoming High School.

Alexandra (Italy), Edward (Germany), Daisy (Thailand), Linh and Hieu (Vietnam) have traveled thousands of miles to experience the American way of life.

Though not always easy due to cultural differences, all five students have expressed enjoyment of their time in the United States.

International Exchange Coordinator and Educatius Local Coordinator Sunflower Swan is determined to help the foreign students get the most out of their time in America.

“My job is to help them to achieve that experience of positive outcome,” said Swan.

Swan (left) helps the international students express their experiences, emotions and goals while in the United States (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)

Swan, raised in Korea, came to America as an exchange student when she was in college. Her experience inspired a passion for helping others find that same joy.

“I want this experience to be fun and engaging. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Swan.

Swan creates that fun environment through various interactive events and activities.

Upon the exchange students’ arrival, Swan hosted a gathering at a local park for the students and their host families. Cookie-eating contests, marshmallow-stuffing contests, and 3-legged races were among the planned activities.

But Swan said the games accomplished far more than just having fun.

“The [3-legged race] is a metaphor that they have to [coexist] in harmony with each other,” said Swan. “Because, to have a successful experience, they can’t do their own thing. You have to tie together.”

Exuberance for life and the American way

Swan’s passion for life was evident during a conversation with Swan and the foreign exchange students.

That conversation involved far more than a question and answer session to see how the students were faring at WHS. Props, signs, face mustaches, picture taking, dancing, and laughter were also part of the mix.

“I don’t do boring stuff,” Swan said as she tossed this reporter a flowered lei with instructions to put it on before she took a picture. “That’s fun, isn’t it? A celebration of life, I call it.”

Alexandra loves trying new things while in America (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)

Alexandra is also embracing life and several new experiences.

“I am making new friends every day, and I am not afraid to talk to [others],” said Alexandra. “I’m shy, but I’m trying to be more confident.”

Alexandra said she joined the WHS golf team because she had never tried the sport before. “I’m not good,” Alexandra said with a shrug. “But I don’t care.”

WHS English teacher and Alexandra’s host mother, Joslyn O’Dell, said Alexandra fit right into her family.

“As soon as we got the name Alexandra, Drake (O’Dell’s son) looked her up on social media and became friends with her,” said O’Dell. “So before she even got to the U.S. they were interacting. Weeks before she arrived, we had already started that relationship.”

Watching Alexandra seize every new experience has been fun for the O’Dell family.

“Just seeing her try the American school and see how that fits for her has been fun,” said O’Dell. “She’s had a lot of new experiences and she’s enjoyed a lot of them; she wants to experience everything.”

Daisy is also embracing new things, with music festivals, camping and learning a different genre of music among the Thailand native’s recent experiences.

Valuable lessons learned

Some experiences, however, are internal and more personal.

Daisy said that she is naturally shy but is learning to open up to people.

“Here, she has learned that exerting her opinion does not mean she isn’t humble,” said Swan. “[It is] gaining maturity and speaking when you need to speak.”

Hieu (left) and Edward discuss a question asked during the meeting (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)

Hieu (Vietnam) enjoys playing basketball, is making friends, and is also learning to be more confident.

“I used to be shy to talk to people, but now I am more open,” said Hieu.

Linh said that through the kindness she has seen at WHS, she “learned to be respectful to everyone.”

Edward says being in America has instigated more meaningful conversations with his parents back in Germany.

“I talked to my parents [before], but here I do more,” said Edward.

Making mistakes and overcoming obstacles

Though most of the exchange students’ experiences have been positive, some difficulties have emerged.

Differences in culture such as body language, difficulty level and concept of school classes, and homework are some of the most common obstacles for foreign students.

“Some students don’t do homework because in their culture, homework is optional, it is not part of their grade,” said Swan, adding that some of the students have had to realize homework is required in the U.S.

Edward enjoys the class activities WHS includes in the curriculum (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)

Daisy said that while she loves the freedom America offers, she struggles with students’ disrespect toward teachers.

Because of Swan’s own experience as an exchange student in college, she understands the hurdles these students face.

“I know what it’s like, adjusting,” said Swan. “Sometimes they are afraid to speak because they don’t want to mispronounce a word.”

But Swan said making mistakes is part of the learning process.

“You have to make mistakes to learn the language and assimilate,” said Swan. “Don’t be afraid to make a mistake. Mispronunciation is good. You don’t have to have perfect English to engage in conversation; that’s not reasonable.”

A few of their favorite things…

Increased freedom, friendly teachers and students, learning activities for students, and free food and refills on drinks were some favorite things mentioned by the group. ArtPrize was also a highlight this fall, with all five students exploring exhibits together.

30 countries, 20 years, and public diplomacy

Swan has spent 20 years and traveled to 30 countries while helping students experience other cultures.

“We are training future world leaders,” said Swan, adding that 200 out of 300 world leaders were involved in some kind of student exchange program.

Swan (left) said Linh (right) had very limited English when arriving in America and is a perfect example of how hard work and tenacity help students grow (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)

“This is called public diplomacy,” Swan said. “It’s one of the greatest, powerful public diplomacy the U.S. can have, having exchange students here, learning American culture, American way of life.”

But for Swan, it is about far more than diplomacy.

“I traveled the world, but I discovered people are all the same,” said Swan. “I am more compassionate as I meet people because they all need to be loved and appreciated.

“We are all the same. We have so much focus on skin or education or status but forget they are human.”

And where Swan goes, fun and new friends follow.

“For me, I live fully,” said Swan. “I want to enjoy it. Life is too short, and I want to celebrate life.

“It’s not easy to do what I do. It’s a lot of problem-solving, but I’m making a difference.”

Education money can’t buy

Swan says learning about new cultures reminds us that we are all human (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)

Swan encourages families to consider hosting an exchange student, saying it benefits families as well as students.

“In my experience, host family children become much more diverse and stronger,” said Swan. “You are providing education money cannot buy.”

To learn more about local exchange student hosting opportunities, visit Educatius.

Grand Rapids’ Black Impact Collaborative presents three-day event designed to cultivate healing in the Black community

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The Black Experience (Courtesy, Black Impact Collaborative)

By Deborah Reed

deborah@wktv.org

The Black Experience is a family-friendly three-day event put on by the Black Impact Collaborative (BIC) that will focus on spreading Black Joy and cultivating healing in the Black community by providing influential information in several key impact areas. Taking place on the campus of Calvin University, The Black Experience runs Friday, Aug. 11 through Sunday, Aug. 13.

“We know that it is essential that we elevate Black Joy–things that inspire, support and uplift Black culture. This is an event that will do that,” said Lesa Hardiman, Program Director for BIC.

The Black Experience will promote intellectual, cultural, and thoughtful leadership and innovation in the areas of education, economics, health and well-being, serving elders, and ensuring protection in an environment that is empowering, entertaining, and exciting.

“We will be celebrating rich culture and wonderful things that are happening with our BIC partners in so many other ways here in the city,” said Dallas Lenear, BIC Board Chair. “We wanted to highlight and celebrate the joy of what it means to be Black in Grand Rapids and Black in America.”

Lenear also commented that The Black Experience is not just for the Black community.

“We invite any and all people who would want to attend, to do so,” said Lenear. “We believe it will be fruitful for the entire community.”

What to expect at The Black Experience

The Black Experience will kick-off with a 70s Party at Calvin University’s Prince Conference Center on Friday, Aug. 11 and will feature the live band Entyce: featuring Bedrock, activities, prizes, and more.

“[The 70s] are such a great microcosm of the Black experience in America,” said Lenear. “It was right at the height of the civil rights movement. You have all this vibrant culture and art and expression, even in the clothing, that demonstrates this new era of blossoming out of this painful past and dealing with the struggles then. There was a reclamation of identity that was eminent in the styles and in the music.”

The Black Experience keynote speakers (Courtesy, Black Impact Collaborative)

Saturday, Aug. 12 will bring workshops with keynote speakers Melody Shari, Dr. Steve Perry, Chris Sain Jr., and Dee Dee Taylor. The day will also feature local speakers, Kids’ Corner, Vendor Expo, COVID Memorial Walk, food, and more.

The event concludes Sunday, Aug. 13 with The Black Experience Jazz Brunch Invasion where people are encouraged to patronize one of three participating Black restaurants and partake in delicious food.

Evolution of the Black Impact Collaborative

The genesis of the Black Impact Collaborative stemmed from negative aspects of the Black experience in the world during the pandemic.

“We wanted to identify, to illuminate, and even to change the disparate outcomes that Black people were experiencing related to COVID-19,” said Lenear.

BIC began meeting daily in April 2020 to develop an immediate response to the pandemic.

Partnering with Cherry Health, BIC undertook several endeavors to help the Black community, including hosting multiple COVID-19 testing sites and vaccination events, and organizing a livestream interview with health professionals to discuss facts pertaining to COVID.

BIC also instigated an online tutoring program for students.

“We developed a program that continues to support students regardless of their learning format,” said Lenear.

While BIC no longer believes there is a need to meet daily, Lenear said, “We still have a vibrant board and active partners, and are still seeking to make a long-term impact in the city.”

To learn more about the Black Impact Collaborative, visit: https://bicgr.com/

To learn more about The Black Experience, visit: https://bicgr.com/the-black-experience/

Public Museum celebrates diversity through its Ethnic Heritage Festival

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Area residents will have the opportunity to explore a variety of different cultures during the Grand Rapids Public Museum’s Ethnic Heritage Festival. (Supplied)

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

On All Saints Day, which is Nov. 1, it is a tradition in Poland to visit the cemetery and decorate your loved one’s grave with flowers and candles.

“From what I understand, you can see it for miles and it is very beautiful,” said Marilyn Lignell, who is a member of the Polish Heritage Society. It also sounds very similar to another tradition that is hosted halfway around the world in Mexico when on the same day, Mexicans celebrate Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead), a time when family and friends honor and remember those who have died.

“I think it is very interesting how the different ethnicities overlap in costumes, food and traditions,” Lignell said.

The similarities and differences of the various cultures that make up the Greater Grand Rapids area is something that residents will be able to explore this weekend as the Grand Rapids Public Museum hosts is annual Fall Cultural Celebration which includes the school-focused Anishinabe Culture Days on Friday and the public event, the Ethnic Heritage Festival, on Saturday.

 

Many of the local ethnic organizations will have items and other displays to help get conversations started. (Supplied)

“The Museum takes pride in valuing, honoring and celebrating the unique cultures, characteristics and perspectives of our community and beyond through engaging, community-oriented programming, and we are excited for the return of the Fall Cultural Celebration,” said Dr. Stephanie Ogren, the GRPM’s Vice President of Science & Education. “The Museum proudly serves as a central hub, bringing culture to life within our spaces through community members who are deeply connected to their own culture and are eager to share their history, experiences and traditions.”

 

Running from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the day-long activities will feature music, art, food, visual presentations, and performances from an array of different organizations such as the Polish Heritage Society, the Grand Rapids Scottish Society, Shimmy USA, Gaelic League/Irish-American Club of West Michigan, Picardo Colours which features Carribean art, Mystic Spirits Art, Les Clay, the Korean Connection, and the Motherland Cultural Connections, which focuses on the history and cultures of the continent of Africa.

“We participate because we want people to know that Africa is here and that we are very much a part of the diverse community that makes up West Michigan,” said Myra Maimoh, founder of the Motherland Cultural Connections.

Maimoh said people tend to not realize that Africa is a continent made up of many different cultures all with their own traditions

 

“Through the Festival, we have an opportunity to showcase the different cuisines and music,” Maimoh said. “It is so cool because people come asking questions and you see the cultural immersion that happens right there. To be able to explain and share and make a connection and build new friendships is very humbling and fulfilling.”

Costumes will be just some of the items on display during the Ethnic Heritage Festival at the Grand Rapids Public Museum. (Supplied)

Even though Polish people have been interwoven into the history of Grand Rapids since about 1870 when many were trying to escape German rule, Lignell admits that like Maimoh, residents don’t fully understand the history and culture of the county and its people.

 

“People come up to the tables and it opens up discussions, giving us an opportunity to talk about the country, the history and the culture,” Lignall said, adding that this year she plans to focus on Wigilia or Poland’s Christmas Eve traditions, which will include a take-and-make ornament activity. “The result is you discover a lot about the different cultures and gain a greater appreciation of the people who make up our community.”

For more information about the Ethnic Heritage Festival visit grpm.org/EHF and for more information on other events and activities taking place at the Grand Rapids Public Museum, visit grpm.org. 

Holland hosts 2021 International Festival

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By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org

West Michigan residents can travel the world without even packing a suitcase at the International Festival of Holland on Saturday, Aug. 21, 11:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., at the Holland Civic Center Place. This free, family-friendly community event includes award-winning performers, hands-on children’s activities, a marketplace of global goods and food trucks offering international cuisine.

The International Festival of Holland is hosted by the City of Holland’s International Relations Commission (IRC) and the International Festival Advisory Board.

“Our vision for the 2021 International Festival of Holland is to celebrate the variety of cultures living, working, and playing in our community and to create awareness of others,” said IRC Chair Alissa Wilson. “We feel the best way to do this is through everyone’s favorite things: food and music.”

The IRC is releasing a 20 Day Countdown to the International Festival, which offers activities individuals and families can do to learn about our global community, help promote the festival, and build momentum for the big day. Follow the 20 Day Countdown on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter by searching for International Festival of Holland.

Visit internationalfestivalholland.com for a list of all sponsors and for additional sponsorship opportunities.

Wyoming hosts first-ever Juneteenth event this Saturday

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Local children, lead by singer Tabitha Williams (far left), perform the Black National Anthem. (WKTV/Joanne Bailey-Boorsma)

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

In an effort to educate and build a bridge of understanding, the City of Wyoming is hosting its first-ever Juneteenth event this Saturday at Calvary Christian Reformed Church, 3500 Byron Center Ave. SW.

The free event will run from noon to 4 p.m. and will feature an array of programs on such topics as history, hair and the CROWN Act legislation, COVID 19 and the black health disparities, the Black Freedom Struggle and discussion on the Emancipation proclamation and the 13th Amendment.

“I wanted to create an intimate space that there could be an exchange of learning about the Black culture,” said Wyoming resident Dana Knight, who through the Wyoming Cultural Enrichment Commission, organized the Juneteenth event.

Juneteenth is an annual celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. It marks the day –  June 19, 1865 – that a Union General issued an order announcing the end of the war and freeing enslaved African Americans in Texas. The order was signed in Galveston one day after the Union Army arrived in the western most Confederate state, two months after the surrender of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, and two and a half years after Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

The City of Grand Rapids has hosted a Juneteenth event for the past several years and Knight, who had lived in Grand Rapids, said she found herself heading to Grand Rapids to participate in cultural activities. After joining the Wyoming Cultural Enrichment Commission, she said discussed with the commission about hosting similar cultural events in Wyoming.

The Commission was open to the idea, according to Knight, and has planned several cultural events, including something for Black History Month and Juneteenth 2022, for next year. 

“There was discussion that there was money leftover this year because of COVID and the fact that there were no concerts last summer,” Knight said. “I said, if you approve it, we still have time to have a Juneteenth event this year.”

The Wyoming Cultural Enrichment Commission gave the green light with Knight then looking for a location to have the event. It was a challenge, as COVID restrictions had not been lifted.

“I was driving past (Calvary Christian Reformed Church) and it just struck me that they are always doing something for the community,” Knight said. “They have food trucks. They have a community dinner. They are just very involved with the community.”

Calvary Christian Reformed Church agreed to be the host site and from there, Knight began lining up speakers and presenters to focus on different topics such as the CROWN legislation act, which is focused on helping to end hair discrimination. There also will be discussions on the Freedom Rides, Marvin Gayes “What’s Going On,” racism as a public health crisis, the 1972 Black political convention and poetry presentations along with exhibits and artifacts.

“This is a cross cultural, cross racial opportunity for people who don’t have the opportunity to be around each other to talk and learn, to see each other as humans, as regular people,” Knight said.

The event will be filmed by WKTV and aired at a later date. Wyoming’s Juneteenth event is Saturday, June 19, from noon to 4 p.m. at Calvary Christian Reformed Church, 3500, Byron Center Ave. SW. 

The impact senior living culture has on health

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Courtesy Vista Springs Assisted Living

By Vista Springs Assisted Living


Social life is essential to our health and happiness. Scientific studies have proven that the more isolated and lonely we feel, the more likely we are to experience health problems. For aging adults in particular, living within a vibrant culture has direct health benefits.

Community and health

We often think of families as a senior’s primary source of community, but bearing the total responsibility for a parent’s social life can be a strain on family members. Senior living communities are a wonderful source of support for aging adults and their families.


A 2012 study by researchers at University College London found that social isolation was associated with chronic lung disease, arthritis, impaired mobility, and depressive symptoms. Other research states that, “individuals who lack social connections or report frequent feelings of loneliness tend to suffer higher rates of morbidity and mortality, as well as infection, depression, and cognitive decline.”


Feeling connected within our social environment is a fundamental part of health and happiness. Senior living facilities are designed with this fact in mind. These communities help seniors feel like they belong, which significantly increases life expectancy.

Community features to enhance well-being

As you and your aging loved one choose a senior living facility, look for the culture that best fits their needs. A healthy community will offer a variety of social events to encourage residents’ involvement. This enables seniors to feel welcome and confident as they get established in their new home.


The best communities offer features and amenities which enhance well-being. Rooms should be vibrant and appealing so that your aging loved one feels at home, in addition to offering the best safety features.


Dining options are also important to consider. Does this facility offer a variety of fresh, healthy options? It’s important to find great cuisine so that your senior’s appetite stays strong. Mealtimes are also great for socializing with other residents.

Activities to enhance social support

High-quality senior living involves activities and events that help residents connect with each other. In addition to relaxing and having fun, social events keep aging adults’ cognitive abilities strong. The mental exercises of reminiscing, laughing together, and getting to know new people is an essential part of remaining healthy and active while we age.


Here are a few ways communities can provide active community involvement for residents. If your loved one’s facility has a light social calendar, find out if you can get involved in planning some activities.

  • Reminiscence groups give seniors an opportunity to share their favorite memories. This will increase self-awareness which strengthens mental capacity and overall health.
  • Group exercises like zumba or yoga are great community events.
  • Start a singing group for musical residents. Local music teachers may be interested in getting their students involved.
  • Local museums, libraries, and community centers often have tours and educational programs available for seniors. These activities make excellent field trips.
  • Weekly or monthly game nights are usually very popular.
  • For seniors with literary or political interests, try a discussion groups of books, films, or current events.
  • Holiday and birthday parties are always a great opportunity for social connections. The planning and setup process can also be a lot of fun with more residents involved!

These are just a few of the ways senior living culture can benefit you or your senior loved one. Staying active and involved in our community brings many essential health benefits, and the support within a robust senior living community will keep our golden years healthy and happy.


Reprinted with permission from Vista Springs Assisted Living.