The teachers, who are in residence at Palo Alto College to learn different teaching techniques and skills to take back to their schools and institutions, are also in Texas to learn about San Antonio, Texas. Since arriving earlier this year, they have visited several schools and universities.
Students Marie Valentin and her husband Celestino Valentin, officers of the MBA association and founders of the Monte Cristo Center San Antonio, located across State Highway 281 South, were introduced to the international guests and invited them to their center earlier in the year.
The Monte Cristo Center, open to anyone regardless of income, is a growing facility that hopes to ultimately serve as a transition center, food bank and fitness facility for residents of south Bexar County, said Valentin. The Valentines have made the success and growth of the Monte Cristo Center their longterm goal and are currently working on adding an afternoon after-school program with the help of Texas A&M-San Antonio’s Student Leadership Institute.
Helping to plan the International Day of Celebration was one of the ways the Valentins, both seniors at Texas A&M-San Antonio, are coordinating with the university to make it a vibrant and culturally diverse place of learning. The event required weeks of planning.
For the evening’s entertainment, the teachers collaborated with organizers to make the evening rich and rewarding. Warm, fresh tamales lured guests well past the gymnasium doors. The room was transformed from its usual boring dimness into a festive banquet room. The women wore colorful long dresses and men wore medium-sized straw hats and bandanas around their neck. Couples danced from corner to corner. One by one, dancers took the floor and demonstrated dance techniques. The women danced gracefully, accompanied by songs in Spanish.
“We loved the different dances and languages spoken especially the dance performed the the people of Dominican Republic” senior business major Marie Valentin.
Celestino Valentin, on behalf of the MBA association and the Future Global Leaders Coalition of Texas A&M San Antonio, thanked the students and faculty who attended the celebration.
“[The teachers] said that they will take the experience to their countries and share the knowledge with them,” Valentin said.
For students, the evening offered a break between classes and a chance to watch the dancing.
“This event was very interesting and extremely informative,” said senior business major Robert Garcia.
The Valentines said they were very pleased with the outcome of the event and plan on hosting similar events to raise awareness on international business.
“In the future we will plan to focus on different regions and countries of the world, such as Asia,” Valentine said.
