KAIST Overseas Networking Exchange (KAIST ONE) is a program that aims to nurture cultural exchange and highlight the international community. Since 2009, KAIST ONE has partnered with the International Scholar and Student Services (ISSS) and KAIST International Students Association (KISA) to organize a series of interactive monthly events. Due to COVID-19, this has been the first semester in three years that KAIST ONE has resumed in-person events. 

Every month, KAIST ONE hosts a student-run event that highlights a country. Each event typically includes a presentation about the country’s culture and history, cultural performances, and an open networking session with local food for attendees to try. The most recent events featured Bangladesh on November 23 and Mexico on November 9. Past events this semester featured Ethiopia in October and Philippines in September.

During the Mexico event, student volunteers informed attendees about the country’s history, festivities, and foods. Attendees were encouraged to sing together, partake in a dancing competition, and earn prizes through a trivia quiz. Claudio Torres, a full-time student from Mexico, was one of the student organizers for the Mexico event. “Though the Latin American and Mexican community at KAIST is very active, there are not many of us,” Torres said. “Therefore, KAIST ONE was a great opportunity to not only share information about my country, but also awaken people’s interest in everything that represents my nation.” Montse Ruiz, a Mexican exchange student, was also excited to celebrate a piece of home while at KAIST and share it with others. “It was a meaningful experience seeing people from so many different backgrounds learning about something so valuable to me as is my culture,” she said.

Jae Yoo, a Korean full-time student who is involved in the Mexican student community and volunteered at KAIST ONE Mexico to present the story of “La Llorona” remarked, “It was great, I added some of my humor and the audience loved it. Everyone was so kind during the event, and I would do it again if I could.”

KAIST ONE plans to continue the monthly event series with the goal of accommodating even more attendees. Currently, there are 150 seats but no attendance limit. However, only the first 100 attendees receive food tickets and are not permitted to eat indoors. Next semester, Ysa Margarita Felizardo San Juan, KISA President and KAIST ONE Student Organizer, plans to release a feedback form after every event to understand how the organizers and country communities can improve the program.

Overall, KAIST ONE has been a successful initiative that many students look forward to as a space to learn about and celebrate a diverse range of cultures. For more information on the program and future events, visit @kaist.one on Instagram.