Campus News
November 25th, 2025
JCLS spotlights GC's international students
Twelve nations represented in College's ‘Evening Abroad' celebration
Photo by John RuddGarrett College celebrated this academic year’s 22 international students from 12 countries during last Wednesday night’s “An Evening Abroad”.
Garrett College spotlighted its 22-student international contingent last Wednesday night in the CARC gymnasium in its third "Evening Abroad" international cuisine night.
Everyone in attendance was treated to sample dishes from the students' 12 home nations. The annual event was part of the Joan Crawford Lecture Series (JCLS), which was free and open to the general public.
Countries represented included Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Netherlands, Philippines, Spain, United Kingdom, and Venezuela.
Garrett College's offices of admissions, institutional compliance, and human resources all co-sponsored the event. The GFWC Civic Club of Oakland and the Oakland Rotary sponsored individual international students, thus assisting with food preparation costs.
Students tried to make their dishes both tasty and practical, such as Cameroon native Ben-Justin Ojong Ayuk's take on fried plantain.
"It's the easiest [Cameroonian] recipe I could recreate and I feel it's very sharable," said Ojong Ayuk. "It can be eaten as a main dish, and it's very versatile – it can be used for breakfast, lunch, and dinner."
Photo by John Rudd
Master of Ceremonies Dean Jeffreys, far left, interviews a trio of Garrett College students from the Dominican Republic during last Wednesday night’s “Evening Abroad”. The students, left to right, are Adrian Leandro Laba Torres, Jordany David Anderson, and Isaac Rodriguez.
Cherryl DeLima, a GC student originally from the Philippines, created Lumpia Shanghai, a version of the classic eggroll adapted through generations of Filipino home kitchens.
"It's the most popular food in my country for many events," said DeLima.
Spaniard Lucas Alonso – who plays on the GC men's soccer team – featured tortilla de patatas, an omelet of potatoes and eggs, at his station.
"We would eat this dish at least once a week for dinner," said Alonso.
GC women's soccer player Ruby Molloy, who was born in the United Kingdom, also provided a dish featuring potatoes called potato hash.
"This is my family's favorite meal. We make it regularly," said Molloy, adding, "It's also just really yummy."
One of the favorite – largely because it was one of the most decadent – dishes was Brazil Brigadeiro, prepared by GC men's soccer and basketball player Luis Botelho.
"It's pretty easy – condensed milk, chocolate powder, and butter," said Botelho, whose trays of candy were gone quite quickly.
First-year student Dean Jeffries – a Seoul, South Korea native who already does professional voiceover work – served as the master of ceremonies for the night.
The Joan Crawford Lecture Series honors dynamic educator Joan R. Crawford, who died in 2010 after serving the Garrett College community for 30 years in a variety of faculty and staff roles. JCLS presentations are offered free of charge.
For more information, contact Stephanie Miller at stephanie.miller@garrettcollege.edu.
