On Thursday, May 16, 2024, the International Student Program (ISP) successfully hosted its annual Student Recognition Ceremony spanning from 5:00 – 6:30 PM. This event acknowledges international students’ successes and honors students graduating and transferring. The ceremony consisted of over 80 muggles, witches, and wizards who were ISP students, their families, faculty, staff, and administrators from Skyline College and the District Office held at the Fireside Dining Room at Building 6. This year’s theme was Harry Potter where many dressed up according to their Hogwarts Houses: Gryffindor (Red), Slytherin (Green), Ravenclaw (Blue), and Hufflepuff (Yellow).
The event began with check-in by our lovely ISP student ambassadors where we had a “sorting hat”, sorting the guests to their Hogwarts houses, making it more interactive and spellbinding. Proceeding with the event, Lareytha Dilian Husni and Zwe Mann Kyaw, international students from Indonesia and Myanmar, respectively, were the emcees for the evening. Both introduced themselves and welcomed the attendees with some banter and joy, lifting the mood. Pleasantries aside, they introduced our Acting President, Dr. Newin Orante, for opening remarks where he brought up to those moving on, that they will always be welcomed here at Skyline and how proud he is of them. After Dr. Orante’s wonderful speech, Zwe handed the microphone over to Zaid Ghori, our Interim Dean of Global Learning Programs and Services, to further commemorate our amazing international students whose achievements are being recognized and personally sign each certificate.
On to the main event: Students receiving their recognition certificates! Dean Ghori and our ISP Program Manager, Clair Yeo-Sugajski personally signed each certificate to hand to our transferring international students and to those who have received scholarships this year. A special award was given to Aung Phone Htut (Christian), David Mazzoni Agurcia, Kaitlyn Gracella Huang Widjaja, and Lasheana Dilian Husni by the International Student Club (ISC) Executive Board where they selected them as the most active members of the ISC. This part of the event was lovely and momentous as students were grateful to be acknowledged for their efforts and commitment.
The best feature of the evening was the melodious live performance by one of our talented international students from Indonesia, Sebastian Sutjipto dedicating it to an astounding journey by us, international students while enjoying the scrumptious dinner and dessert catered to the students and guests by Pacific Dining. He performed a total of three songs: Viva la Vida, A Million Dreams, and In My Life where each song was more soulful than the last. To bring the event to a spectacular and unforgettable close, the ISP organized an exciting raffle that left everyone on the edge of their seats. The grand prize was nothing short of extraordinary: a state-of-the-art on-the-go ping pong kit and various other enticing prizes. The atmosphere was electric as Clair drew names and prizes were claimed, ensuring that the evening ended on a high note, leaving everyone with cherished memories and perhaps a prize or two to take home.
The International Student Program is part of the Global Learning Programs and Services Division. ISP will continue to provide services and programs for international students as well as
for the entire Skyline College community. If you are interested in learning more about future ISP programs and events, contact the ISP office at skyinternational@smccd.edu
Article by William Wai Phyo Ordoyo Oo | Photos by Mabel Lynn
