Bringing the World to Otero

by Maureen Rikhof

As the Otero College campus swells each year with new and returning students, our community is once again delighted to host students to the Arkansas Valley from across the globe.  Over 65 students have enrolled to study, learn and become the best version of themselves at Otero College for the Fall 2024 semester.  Representing 25 countries and participating across the campus from the nursing program to the golf course, the world truly has come to Otero!    

International students at Otero College are enrolled in nursing, associate degree seeking and medical lab technician programs.  They are teammates on the soccer, basketball, volleyball, baseball, and golf teams.  International students live both on and off campus, but one thing is clear; they have an impact on our community while living and learning with us.

There are many ways that our international students interact with our community.  One of them kicked off this week in the Learning Commons at Otero College; the monthly Lunch and Learn series.  Students from Kenya presented information about their home country including history, geography, and everyone’s favorite cultural topic; food!  Throughout the school year, students from different countries will present at 12:15 in the Learning Commons on the first Wednesday of each month.  Students from Spain are up next with their presentation planned for October 2.  All community members are encouraged and welcome to attend.

A second annual tradition is the feast known as International Foods Night.  Otero College invites everyone to come and celebrate our international students on November 14^th at our 29^th annual International Foods Night event.  The yearly tradition of flags, fun, and festivities to showcase our international students is once again in the Rizzuto Banquet Room.  Tables and tickets are on sale now and can best be purchased through the website at https://www.otero.edu/campus-community/events-registration/international-food-night/ .  Single tickets are $45 each and tables for eight are available for $320 – no cost increases again this year!  Tickets include multiple courses of internationally themed food – appetizers, entrees and desserts.  Back by popular demand, Spanish beef empanadas and Japanese potstickers are on the menu for appetizers.  The palate will be delighted by the main course highlighting dishes from Israel, Kenya and China. A new addition this year will be a multicultural dessert bar to delight everyone’s tastebuds and curiosity. The on-campus team at Sodexo pulls out all the stops to make this a delicious and beautiful meal.  Internationally themed and locally donated beer and wine are served for tips to support the programs and scholarships of the international program at Otero College. 

Students will be entertaining the audience with their talents from their home countries.  Otero students from Kenya, Germany and Brazil are already honing their talents.  Jace Honey is confirmed as the event’s auctioneer once again; doing his part to raise funds for scholarships and support for international students throughout the year. The planning committee is thrilled to announce the return of Mariachi Lobos; local mariachi band extraordinaire, to complete the evening with singing and dancing. 

“It is so impressive to me how the community rallies around this event!  Thanks to a generous sponsorship, we have Lobos Mariachi coming to keep the fun going!  Returning students are looking forward to the event and we look forward to showing the new students how we celebrate.  My favorite part is watching their faces when the live auction starts!  The world truly comes to Otero!”, said Maureen Rikhof, Director of International Relations.

Everyone in the community is invited to join.  Reservations can be made online at the link above or you can contact the international office directly to make arrangements for your tickets.  Otero-international@otero.edu or (719) 384-6805.  If you would like to donate items for the auction or be an event sponsor, the international program would benefit from that as well.

For questions about International Food Night, or any aspect of the International Relations Organization, please contact Maureen Rikhof at Maureen.Rikhof@otero.edu.