A peek into an international student’s world

In December, The Art of International Education Week took place. The university libraries has displayed the work of USD international students Anita Shrestha, Subharaj Pal, Yazmin Moktan and Leila Ghasempor on the first and second floors of the library building. 

The display allows the international students to share a piece of their culture with others. Their artwork will be on display until the end of January for all to view and experience a glimpse into life internationally.

Recent graphic design major graduate, Anita Shrestha, was able to share her artwork display through international week after having to cancel her exhibition show due to COVID-19 last May. 

Shrestha is an international student from Nepal who is still experimenting with her style of art. Shrestha said her family background is artistic as she comes from a family who owns a handicraft company that creates various forms of art like statues, carpet, silver jewelry such as antique earrings, wood carvings and more. 

“Being away from family, you miss home and home is something that is close to my heart and I thought people here would be interested and excited to learn about it,” Shrestha said. 

Part of Shrestha’s exhibition consists of posters of the Nepal calendar, descriptions of the festivals, indigenous people and traditional foods eaten during certain times of the year.

Shrestha also has an arrangement of the wheel of life in Nepal, a painting of the elephant God and a display of an altar piece along with a pot and offering plate. 

“This is basically me trying to bring my culture, the traditions that we have back home, here, for people to see visually,” Shrestha said. “Very vibrant colors, more people and music.” 

Senior and art major specializing in graphic design, Subharaj Pal, is an international student from India who chosen to turn his hobby, drawing and painting, into a degree in designing. 

“My most favorite thing to do is paint but I came into graphic design because it is a practical side of art,” Pal said, “it is where art is applied in real life to create something.”

Pal displayed a graphic art piece of his called “Expand the Horizons” to inspire others to explore. 

“Expand the Horizons,” is a graphic partly made out of the use of words to form different continents outside of the United States. 

“I wanted to say expand your openness of your mind and study abroad and look at things around the world to give you new ideas about how the world works,” Pal said.

Pal views international art as a great opportunity for both international students and native students to get to know and share more about each other. 

The international students art will be available for all students, staff and faculty to view in the I.D. Weeks library until Jan. 31.