On Tuesday, November 13, Henry Ford Community College hosted the International Students Thanksgiving Reception in the community room of the Welcome Center. Presented by Council of World Cultures (CWC), the program was for the visa international students who attend HFCC. A lot of the students were from different countries such as China, Vietnam, Nigeria, Venezuela, Russia and Lebanon. CWC’s mission is to seek foster global awareness and understanding throughout the College and greater community through the study of world cultures.
Student Activities Officer Cassandra Fluker said, “The primary purpose of the event is to encourage the international students to get involved and let them know that they are valued members of the HFCC campus community.”
Council of World Cultures awarded their 2012 scholarship to culinary arts major Enbo Zhu from Beijing, China.
“I was really excited when I heard I won the scholarship,” Zhu said. “I heard about it from an instructor at Henry Ford Community College.”
Zhu’s major is in Hotel Management. She has received a $1,800 scholarship from Eastern Michigan University and plans to transfer after she obtains 88 transferable credits.
CWC awards a scholarship to an F-1 International Student who meets the following requirements:
(1) must have F-1 status
(2) Be a full time student during the following fall semester
(3) Have 12 credits minimum in courses 100 or higher
(4) Acquire a cumulative GPA of at least 3.00
(5) Write an essay answering: ‘Why should I receive this scholarship?’

As an introduction to the ceremony, all students participated in an interactive Birthday Game. This game required all participants to line up in an oval while standing in birthday order and everyone had to say their name along with their birthday and home country.
Director of Student Outreach and Support Brenda Hildreth educated the audience with the meaning of the American Thanksgiving tradition, how it first became a tradition, and also how Franklin D Roosevelt designated Thanksgiving to be celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November.
After Hildreth finished her historical speech, all attendees took part in socializing and eating the traditional Thanksgiving dinner that was catered by HFCC’s own Skylight Café. The dinner included Halal turkey meat, stuffing, corn, green beans, gravy and pumpkin pie.
Upon entry, all attendees were given a raffle ticket to receive prizes that were donated by various campus departments. There were several prizes given such as an electronic notepad, USB hub, HFCC miniature Styrofoam footballs, t-shirts and gift cards from $10 to $25.
The reception ended with questions and concerns addressed by the students.