By Greg Fry

IDays puts the spotlight on international students

Mar 5, 2018 | 10:40 AM

KAMLOOPS — Kamloopsians looking for a little culture in their lives should head to Thompson Rivers University this week.

TRU World is hosting its annual IDays 2018, an event that has become a prominent tradition on campus.

“Originally, it was intended to celebrate the contributions and the culture of the international students that study at TRU and have chosen to come all the way to Kamloops,” says Managing Director of TRU World Global Operations Tony Rogge. “But it’s evolved quite a bit and it’s now a celebration of all things international, recognizing the amazing contributions these students make.”

Rogge says the theme this year is Food for Thought, Food for Life, Food for Fun.

“So, what we’ve tried to do is look at the theme and look at food as a metaphor and a lens to explore how the local connects to the global and to look particularly at the culture, community and sustainability.”

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He says the anchor event for the week takes place Friday when they host their International Showcase. The event is a festival of food, music, and fashion. For a full listing of events click here.

Rogge says TRU has more than 2,500 international students at the moment, and he expects that number to eclipse the 3,000 mark this fall with students from such diverse places as India, China, Korea, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria and other countries.

So, what do the students bring to the community?

“All kinds of things. We often cite the economic benefit that international students bring and that’s very true,” he says. “They can go anywhere and study but they make a very sophisticated choice and they arrive here, ready to study for two years, sometimes four years, and many of them choose to stay and work in our community after they graduate and then go on to become permanent residents and Canadian citizens.”