Valentine’s Day goes global in I Heart Travel Passport event

Madeline Steward explaining Valentine’s Day tradition at the Italy booth.

The Office of Global Education celebrated the love of travel with their passport event, part of “I Heart Travel Week,” in Bowman Hall Wednesday.

The event, sponsored by the Office of International Programs and Education Abroad, ran from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and had five booths representing selected countries with study abroad programs, including South Korea, Chile, Italy, India and Germany.

“We are just trying to inspire people to love travel and to want to go study abroad in general,” said Jessica Cassidy, a graduate student in liberal studies who ran the India booth.

The event gave students an opportunity to stop by and learn how each of these countries celebrate Valentine’s Day, as well as to learn more about the study abroad programs that Kent State offers for each country.

“I think it’s an awesome opportunity. Not only to advertise our club, ‘cause it goes hand in hand with our club, but also trying to get people to enjoy the culture and the language as much as we do,” Sarah Rosenbaum, President of the German club and senior German literature culture translations major, said.

The goal for this event, Madeline Steward, a senior psychology major, said, it was to get more students interested in studying abroad more, and to get a better understanding of how these programs work and the cultural difference of each country

“In November, there’s the international education week, and so we wanted something that’s the equivalate for the spring semester. Which we created as ‘I Heart Travel Week’, and it’s just a celebration of people’s love for travel and going places,” Steward said.“We try to spin it because it’s on Valentine’s Day as different culture’s celebrations of love and their traditions, dating, or if they celebrate Valentine’s Day differently than the United States does.”

Alissa Reyes is the international students reporter. Contact her at [email protected].