Among other activities, learning Chinese calligraphy was one activity students enjoyed.

By Tommy Osborne

Culture Celebration

Large celebration for cultural diversity a big hit for CNC students

Nov 19, 2025 | 4:36 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – As part of its International Education Week, the College of New Caledonia held a large celebration in its gathering centre.

“We have tons of activities going from calligraphy to displays, and we’re celebrating food from around the world, so students get a sample of nine different dishes and can enjoy some samples of food,” said Caralee Larmand, the College’s Student Success Coordinator.

“It’s a mixture of not just Canadian culture, but all the countries around the world. A little bit of Africa, Asia, Europe, we just try to bring everyone’s culture to the forefront, not forgetting Indigenous culture as well,” added Leila Abubakar-Depenau with the CNC Students’ Union.

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A variety of dishes from different cultures were available for students to enjoy

Other activities included, but weren’t limited to:

• Trying on a turban
• Cultural displays of historical objects
• Henna tattoos
• Creating your own cultural art

“Cultural education week is just really celebrating international students here at the college and making sure that we represent their country and know that they are appreciated and welcomed here in our community,” Larmand said.

“It brings us together and it enables us to support all our students, and it is an opportunity for us to learn about different cultures. Some of our students are getting turbans, some of them are learning about different cultures, different types of food. So it’s really about learning, growing together as a community,” added CNC’s Vice President of Student Affairs Shelley Rose-Carter.

Abubakar-Depenau says events like this are fantastic not only for the enjoyment aspect of it, but also the educational benefits of learning in a fun, casual, environment.

“It’s really, really good because you also want to remember we live in the cancel culture era, so people are usually very afraid to ask questions. So this is an opportunity for you to come and ask questions about a different culture without fear, or misinformation, or that you’re going to get judged for not knowing. As you can see, everybody’s super friendly and super open, so you can ask whatever questions you’d like,” she said.

“We really try to welcome students to get them to learn about different cultures, and a lot of our internationals, when they get to Canada, they get to experience tons of different cultures that they havent experienced until they’ve come here,” Larmand added.

It’s also a great chance not only to celebrate our differences, but also connect through shared interests and similarities.

“It’s great just to see some similarities between different cultures, because somebody was writing and said, ‘oh, that’s how I would say my name as well.’ And you’re like, ‘oh, that’s, that’s a similarity you wouldn’t know unless you get to interact with people from different backgrounds,” Abubakar-Depenau said.

Because it’s International Education week, other events are planned for the coming days, such as a living library, speakers, a healing circle, and more.

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