More than 150 graduating international students came together to celebrate their achievements while at Cornell.

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In addition to food and congratulations, this year's International Graduation Reception featured addresses from the Office of the Vice Provost for International Affairs, Alumni Affairs and Development, and distinguished international alumnus, Alex Ponomarenko. Additionally, the Global Citizen Award recipients, Teni Akeju and Megan Cabaero, shared a little about their journeys as international students at Cornell. 

Student speakers were nominated by their peers in recognition of their advocacy for international student engagement and success and their positive impact on the international community at Cornell.

"The experience of being international at Cornell is much more than one's country of citizenship—it's the celebration of the intersectionality of socioeconomic, cultural, and gender identities while navigating academics, work opportunities, and legal constraints as an international student. And it's learning from one another about each other's cultures and learning together about what it means to be an international student in Ithaca."

Megan Cabaero '23, Human Development, College of Human Ecology
Undergraduate Global Citizen Award winner
Hometown: Philippines and Singapore

"We find ourselves in a world being pushed further apart with divisive rhetoric propagated by people with unscrupulous and sinister intentions. However, I am confident that the people I have met here can do their parts, in their little ways, to bring the world closer together. Through our education and interactions with people from different backgrounds, we can learn to appreciate and respect each other's differences. We can learn to celebrate our diversity rather than allow it to drive us apart."

Teni Akeju '23, MBA, Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management 
Graduate Global Citizen Award winner
Hometown: Lagos, Nigeria