Photo: Madi Duran.
Nearly 100 students, faculty, staff and refugee families gathered for the Global Gratitude Dinner to share food, stories and perspectives through dialogue activities and cultural exchange in early November.
When you commute to work by train, you find that little groups of train buddies gradually form. You get to know a lot about these strangers: their work, their bosses, their spouses, their weekends, their children.
Train buddy Bill has two daughters, now grown and married, both into public service from an early age. They were raised that way. One served in Ukraine and Africa, teaching, even before she went to college. So it doesn’t surprise me to learn that her college — and the one at the center of my Thanksgiving story — has a strong public-service focus. It’s Elon University in central North Carolina.
Student Madi Duran reports at the school’s website, “[McCoy Commons was] filled with warmth and conversation as nearly 100 students, faculty, staff, refugee families and community members gathered to celebrate gratitude, intercultural understanding, and shared humanity.
“As part of Elon’s monthly Dialogue Dinner Series, the Global Neighborhood hosted the Global Gratitude Dinner to deepen understanding across cultures and to offer a sense of belonging and community for both Elon students and local refugee families resettling in the Burlington area. The dinner provided an opportunity for students, faculty, and local refugee families to share food, stories, and perspectives in a space dedicated to intercultural learning.
“ ‘Such gatherings align with Elon’s mission of fostering Global Citizenship,’ shared Sandy Marshall, Global Neighborhood faculty director and intercultural learning scholar for the Center for Research on Global Engagement. …
“The evening featured personal and cultural reflections by Ashraaf Saad, an employment specialist at Church World Service who came to the U.S. from Afghanistan in 2023. Saad shared stories about migration, resilience and belonging that highlighted the experiences of refugees adapting to life in a new country. The remarks emphasized community collaboration and the importance of shared spaces that foster understanding between refugees and local residents.
“Guests also heard from community leaders, including Anal Khdour, representing the Al-Aqsa Clinic, and Munib Sayyid and Imam Shaher Sayid from the Burlington Masjid. Million Mekonnen, executive director of the North Carolina African Services Coalition, attended along with board members, staff and refugee youth from Greensboro. Refugee families from the Burlington area also participated in the evening. …
“The event promoted student engagement through interactive ‘Dialogue Across Difference’ activities, where participants shared experiences about home, belonging, and gratitude. Guests answered thoughtful prompts such as ‘Where do you call home and why?’ ‘Describe a time you felt welcomed somewhere new’ and ‘What is one thing you are grateful for?’ These conversations created meaningful connections across cultural and geographic backgrounds, allowing participants to find common ground while honoring their unique stories.
“The evening also featured an interactive trivia session that sparked laughter and learning, with questions about Afghan history, African geography and facts about Muslim-majority countries. …
“The Global Gratitude Dinner is organized through partnerships with Church World Service, the North Carolina African Services Coalition, Burlington Masjid and other local refugee support organizations. These partnerships reflect Elon’s commitment to intercultural learning and global citizenship through dialogue and meaningful community engagement.
“The Global Neighborhood works to engage students in developing a global perspective while emphasizing core values of respect, reflection and engagement with local and global communities. The dinner reinforced the Global Neighborhood pledge to ‘work for the common good’ and ‘develop a global perspective’ in connection with personal growth.”
More from Elon, here.
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