By Ayah Galal
With Thanksgiving Break coming up right around the corner, students are getting ready to go home. But there are some who aren’t able to go home because of how far they live. Quinnipiac’s Department of Cultural and Global Engagement has created a Thanksgiving Host Family Program where students are able to stay with a faculty member for the holiday.
“When the program got started in 2011, the logic was we had a growing international student program and we found that more and more students were staying on campus break without anything to do,” said Nicole Kurker-Stewart.
Kurker-Stewart is the Assistant Director for International Students and Programs. She is one of the top people involved and has been involved with the program since 2011.
“It’s great because we get to know about different cultures and know more about the world. Plus we can make more friends,” said Jing Wen, international student from China.
Q30 News reached out to Quinnipiac Professor Timothy Deenihan who has hosted an international student over break in the past. We couldn’t get an on-camera interview with him but however has provided us with a statement saying, “My invitation to my students was simply me opening my house to anyone stranded for the holiday. We have hosted international students many times, and we’ve enjoyed it.”
The program has been going on for about three years now and shows no signs of ending according to Kurker-Stewart.
