Lunch & Learn Series and International Foods Night Coming This Fall

A community favorite is gearing up for another season! The International Relations Office at Otero College will launch the 2022/23 series of Lunch & Learn presentations on Wed., Sept. 7, 2022. Held in the Learning Commons on the Otero Campus, the mid-day discussions are designed for students, staff, faculty, and community members to take their lunch breaks together to learn about a different culture. Otero international students from around the globe will take turns hosting the monthly conversations about their home countries.

The series will be kicked off by Danish student, Kristine Mehlbye. Ms. Mehlbye has come to Otero College from Copenhagen, Denmark to study and play on the soccer team. Everyone is encouraged to come and share in Kristine’s enthusiasm for Scandinavian culture and traditions.

After Denmark, the Otero community will have six more opportunities throughout the school year for lunchtime cosmopolitan adventures. Lunch & Learns are scheduled on the first Wednesday of each month at 12:15 p.m. Oct. 5, Nov. 2, Dec. 7, Feb. 1, March 1, and April 5 are the dates to put on your calendars to learn more about Brazil, Senegal, Japan, Peru, Spain, the United Kingdom or any of the other countries represented in this year’s international cohort. A total of nearly 60 students from 26 different countries are expected to arrive by the first day of fall semester, Aug. 22.

“This is an exciting time of the year as students are returning to our valley – or coming for their first semesters – from all over the globe. Young people who are adventurous enough to leave their own countries when they are only 18 or 19 years old are truly brave and interesting people! The citizens in the Arkansas Valley are lucky to have this influx of culture, creativity and curiosity show up every single semester in our own community.” said Maureen Rikhof, international relations director.

The 27th Annual International Food Night is another perennial favorite to mark on your calendars now; Thurs., Nov. 10, 2022, at 6 p.m. in the Rizzuto Banquet Room. Tickets can be reserved at https://form.jotform.com/222224997469166.

International Foods Night partygoers can expect global tastes, music, entertainment, and the opportunity to bid on unique auction items to support the students and international program.

For questions about the upcoming Lunch & Learn Series, International Foods Night or any aspect of the International Relations Organization, please contact Maureen Rikhof at 719-384-6805 or by email at Maureen.Rikhof@otero.edu.