ISCO and ISS hold karaoke

Troy’s International Student Cultural Organization (ISCO) and International Programs collaborated to put on a karaoke night at Baptist Campus Ministries, located behind Smith Hall, last Thursday. The event had a variety of food and drinks that were completely free for students. Students and faculty alike were encouraged to sign up to perform a song of their choice during the night.  

There was no shortage of talent, as the list lasted the entire hour and a half.  

Students collaborated and participated in the ISCO and ISS karaoke night. (Quang Le photo)

“As an International Student Advisor, I have a few exchange students from Europe who wanted to do a karaoke night,” said International Student Advisor in the Center for International Programs Sarah Bai. “When I heard that, I remembered ISCO did a karaoke night a few years ago.  

“I reached out to them to collaborate on this event, and that’s how it happened.” 

Events like these are put together to bring together international students and domestic students. Breaking the ice and making connections is the goal for many ISCO events. 

“I feel as though there’s a lot of misunderstandings going on in our world, and this event is a great chance to encourage American students and international students to get together and talk in order to understand each other and their culture,” Bai said.  

Other students spoke about how Troy fosters a positive environment for interacting with others from all backgrounds.  

“Troy is one of the few places where you’re going to be around so many people from so many different countries,” said Ian Maddox, a senior English major from Prattville, Alabama. “It’s just a unique opportunity for students who live in America to meet people from other cultures and other places and vice versa. 

 “Hopefully, people will make connections that will last a lifetime. I’ve met several international students that I talk to every now and then since they’ve left, and it’s been really cool to have that experience.” 

ISCO is a student body organization that invites both international and domestic students to come to meetings and learn about each other. The organization usually does relaxed events throughout the year that create a space for students to come together and understand each other. 

“The importance of ISCO, for me, is leadership and working with different kinds of folks,” said Thomas Baker, a senior history major from Prattville, Alabama. He also serves as ISCO president. “I notice that a lot of international students, when they come to ISCO events, meet people they wouldn’t have met otherwise, and the same goes for domestic students.” 

ISCO will keep doing events throughout the semester, including an upcoming baseball tailgate. To keep up with details for these events, follow @isco_troy on Instagram.