Since the early 90’s, the International Student Association (ISA) club at Parkland has provided a safe space for international and local students to come together, socialize and learn about each other’s cultures. After its inactivity, ISA hopes to rebuild an inclusive community that can support students that are coming from other countries.
The club has a unique atmosphere to it because it is built and run by students. The more devotion students are willing to put into it, the better the experience the club offers. During the active times of the club, they coordinated fashion shows, organized creative art sessions, cultural fairs, held community events, played games, and hosted events to honor different diverse holidays. The club’s efforts are to ensure that everyone feels like they have a space to be who they are and not worry about academics.
Over the years, the club has offered members the opportunity to showcase their leadership abilities and to further build upon their potential as a leader. With that being said, the club is in need of student leaders who not only will be able to aid in rebuilding the club but will also get the opportunity to be a major part of what makes the club so special. The club is currently seeking to fill all officer positions, including president, vice president, treasurer, marketing director and secretary.
During the sit down with Amber Landis, the current ISA advisor, we delved into her reasons behind wanting to rebuild such an important club within Parkland. As advisor, her main goal is to allow students to have the opportunities to thrive and she offers the support and resources to make it all happen. During her time advising the ISA, she has been able to watch students apply their leadership skills elsewhere and become peer mentors, run for student government, become student ambassadors and more. Her dedication to the club comes from her attending a university in France to study foreign languages. Her studies encouraged her to become an ESL teacher because she was able to deeply connect to what her students faced as they adjusted to the U.S.
Being thrown in a different culture and surrounded by different languages that you do not understand can be extremely overwhelming and hard to adjust to. ISA is a way to bridge that gap between local and international students. The space allows for international and local students to have a space dedicated for their interactions, allowing for international students to have a smoother transition. If all goes well, ISA is expected to make its grand return to Parkland in the fall semester of this year.
ISA has proved to be an impactful and resourceful club again but that cannot happen unless students decide to pour into it. Whether you are a local student or an international one, you have the power to aid in creating the safe place that the club once was.
For any inquiries, contact Landis at alandis@parkland.edu.
