Almost 200 students worked together to plan the party, which featured music from around the world as well as student performances and a variety of traditional outfits.
Italy and South Africa are 5,000 miles apart, but at the annual international party hosted by the LL.M. class on Feb. 16, the countries were suddenly neighbors, with students from each country handing out their favorite traditional treats while dressed as gondoliers or rugby players.
Hundreds of students, faculty, staff and family members gathered in the Caspersen Student Center for a chance to immerse themselves in the cultures of their graduate student classmates, who hail from more than 70 countries. They filled their plates with dishes ranging from Chinese chicken feet and Australian Vegemite to Italian Nutella and Middle Eastern hummus.
“It’s really an opportunity for a lot of the LL.M. class, who feel like they’re here being hosted by Americans, to give back and host in return,” said Jennifer Chan, an LL.M. student from Vancouver, British Columbia, who helped organize this year’s party. “Everyone’s really proud to put on their cultural dress and prepare the foods that they love and miss from home.” The international party has been an annual event at the law school for more than a decade.
When graduate students returned home for the holidays in December, they made sure to load their suitcases with their favorite foods and ingredients, which they then had to resist for more than a month in order to save them for the international party.
For the J.D. students who also hail from other countries, the night provided an opportunity to reconnect to their homes.
“It’s nice to go to a table and see food from where you’re from,” said Valérie Duchesneau, a 2L from Montreal. “It makes you feel appreciated.”
Left: Students drew henna tattoos, handed out Japanese fortunes and translated English names into Chinese calligraphy. Right: After 20 graduate students led a Bollywood flash mob dance, students enjoyed a dance party that lasted until midnight.
Left: “Most people I meet here ask where I’m from, but they don’t know where it is,” said Salwa Mohamed Saleh (center), an LL.M. student from Chad who showed a video about the Toubou women of northern Chad. “I wanted to share my culture.” Right: Crowd favorites, including Chinese dumplings, Swiss chocolates, profiteroles and sushi, quickly ran out.
The LL.M. Class of 2013
- 71 countries and jurisdictions from Argentina to Zambia are represented
- 187 students, of whom 97% are international
- 52% are men; 48% are women
- The class includes 6 prosecutors, 2 judges and 8 law teachers, as well as 1 Rhodes Scholar, 16 Fulbright Scholars, and 1 Ford Foundation International Fellow.
- 64% have two or more years of practice or teaching experience
- 19 LL.M. students have worked as Supreme Court clerks or Constitutional Court clerks in countries including Australia, Canada, France, Israel, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Singapore and South Africa
- Percentage that hold advanced degrees, including eight Ph.D.s: 36%