On Friday, October 14, the Penn Museum continued its 47-year tradition of hosting a free, museum-wide special reception for the region’s international students and scholars, at the “Festival of International Students.” Participating colleges ranged from nearby Temple and University of the Sciences to Arcadia, and Philadelphia University.
— Penn Museum’s Press Release
Along with the Penn Language Center and Penn Global at the University of Pennsylvania, and Global Philadelphia Association, Campus Philly was one of the major sponsors to welcome and meet over 700 international students in the Philadelphia region.
Mayor Jim Kenney offered opening remarks about Philadelphia’s growing role as a global city. Campus Philly recognizes the important role the international student population plays in our region– these students make up about 5% of the City’s student population and we rank #8 in metropolitan areas for housing them.
To celebrate, festival goers enjoyed music, dancing and exclusive access to the Penn Museum’s international galleries. You can check out the great event photos here.
Each exhibitor provided students with an interactive activity. Campus Philly challenged students to a game of “Name That Neighborhood.” The game featured cards with names of different neighborhoods from across the city, which were paired with international-themed trivia questions, i.e. ““What’s the best place to find African food? Hint: It’s west of Center City.” Prizes were awarded to students who matched the fact with the place.
In addition to prizes, we gave each student who visited our table a copy of the Insider Guide to Philadelphia— a guide for all students to get a sense of the city, meet Philadelphia and find the latest off-campus insight. We’re happy to report that when asked about what they thought of Philadelphia before moving here, students excitedly shared their positive opinions and experiences.