SIE/A.I.M. Host Taiwanese Cultural Showcase

June 14, 2002 | Written By Mandy Welch '04

The School of Intensive English (SIE), now known as the American Languages and Cultural Institution, and the American International Mentoring Program (A.I.M.), joined forces once again to host the Taiwanese Cultural Showcase on June 13. Donovan Gray, DMA, associate professor of music, and his wife, Lana, hosted the event.

“I think [the] Taiwanese Culture Night was fun. Although I am Japanese, I didn’t know how different the Taiwanese culture is from mainland China. It was a good opportunity for me to learn Taiwanese Culture,” said Hitomi Matsumoto, past SIE student and coordinator of the Japanese Culture Showcase. < The purpose of the evening was to bring together different cultures so they could learn about each other. “If just on person becomes more accepting of people from another culture, we have succeeded in our purpose of ‘making a difference one student at a time,’” said Jeanie Hartranft, A.I.M. program coordinator.

The event featured an introduction to Taiwanese culture followed by an explanation of the differences between Taiwanese and Chinese. There was food, language, prayer in Mandarin, and a Taiwanese game show.

The next showcase will be held at the Gray’s home on July 11 and will feature Korean culture.