INTERLINK!

End-of-Term Ceremony

INTERLINK students celebrate completion of the Spring I term at the March 2012 End-of-Term Ceremony

INTERLINK’s Spring I, 2012 End-of-Term Ceremony took place on March 1 at the College Park Baptist Church. The ceremony was held to celebrate the accomplishments of INTERLINK students during the most recent nine-week term. INTERLINK students kicked off the ceremony with a musical performance of John Lennon’s “Imagine.” During the performance, they displayed a slide show of photographs taken throughout the term.

The formal portion of the ceremony included various awards and recognitions for notable achievement. The highest honor, the Outstanding Student Award, was presented to Mokhaled Abd-Allah, from Iraq, who was chosen from among the graduating students to give a speech. Students also received awards for perfect attendance and a number of peer recognitions, such as those voted “hardest-working” by their fellow students in each class. Special recognition was then given to 25 departing students, including 17 who graduated from the program. The formal part of the ceremony was followed by a potluck luncheon and music.

INTERLINK and UNCG students discuss different romantic traditions as part of Love Talk International

Love Talk International

Questions were met with a fascinating variety of responses. Some participants explained how in their cultures people have individual liberty to select partners, whereas in others the family plays a major role in selecting them. Though many sensitive topics were discussed, participants engaged each other with respect and open minds. As Nader Abutalib, an INTERLINK student from Saudi Arabia, put it, “Just because something is different, some people want to think that it is bad. It may not be bad just because it is different. You need to keep an open mind.”

For information on the February 28-29 Saudi TVTC visit see Visitors and Scholars.