Global Education Fair brings 21 countries to Athens County classrooms

Ohio University hosted its popular Global Education Fair earlier this year for students and families in the community.

The student-built cultural fair, now in its fourth year, has expanded beyond the Athens City School District, and is now drawing families from across Athens County into an evening of hands-on global learning.

At the Global Education Fair, children arrived under the flags of the world, collected a passport and a world map at the check-in table, and then set out to earn a stamp from every country in the room.

By the end of the evening, those who filled their passports walked out of the Athens High School cafeteria with a Certificate of Global Education — along with a hopscotch pattern from Iraq, a henna design from Pakistan, and their own names written in half a dozen scripts.

The fourth annual Athens Global Education Fair, held March 18, drew an estimated 150 participants and brought together 21 countries and cultures, including Afghanistan, Algeria, Austria, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Ghana, Guinea, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Japan, Malaysia, Micronesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and Uganda. A second fair followed on April 1 at the Alexander Local Schools cafetorium, featuring Afghanistan, China, Ghana, Guinea, India, Nigeria, South Africa, Thailand, and a station on the languages of the world.

The expansion into the Alexander School District marks the initiative's first move beyond the Athens City School District — a step organizers say reflects steady demand from families and educators across the region for sustained global learning opportunities.

Built by two kinds of expertise

At the fair, each exhibit station is designed by a paired team: a cultural consultant and a pedagogical consultant.

Cultural consultants are international students, OHIO faculty and language instructors who bring firsthand knowledge of the countries represented. Pedagogical consultants are faculty, domestic students and teacher candidates enrolled in EDTE 2500: Issues in Global Education in the Patton College of Education, who translate that knowledge into activities a fifth grader will actually want to do.

Nayomi Gunasekera Field, instructor of EDTE 2500 and a Ph.D. candidate and Holmes Scholar in Curriculum and Instruction, guided both groups through four workshops over two months, using story circles and structured discussion to develop the exhibits.

The results filled the room: jump rope and dance from Uganda, wax bubble blowing from Indonesia, drumming from Ghana, Ayo and Omweso board games from Nigeria and Uganda, and a fishing game from Micronesia. In addition, display boards carried photographs, textiles, musical instruments and video. The tea stations poured maté from Brazil, oolong and jasmine green from China, chai from Sri Lanka, and milk tea from Sierra Leone.

Chutora, the tiger mascot from OHIO partner Chubu University in Japan, even made an appearance to the considerable delight of the younger visitors.

Dinner — sushi, noodles, fried rice, samosas, pakoras, egg rolls — was provided free of charge, sourced from local restaurants including Mr. Hibachi, Yummy House, Dynasty, Ginger, and Star of India. At Alexander, Lucky's Pizza and Subs and Panda Market supplied the meal.

"The familiar space became a mini global village"

For the students who staff the tables, the fair is as much a learning experience as it is for the children moving between them.

Leixun Mao, a high school student who presented the Chinese cultural station alongside his mother, described the shift in perspective that came with volunteering.

"As a volunteer, I was no longer just a student wandering through the fair, but a face of the event itself," he said. "I discovered that I am better at solving problems than I had imagined — whether it was teaching Chinese writing, showing visitors how to draw traditional auspicious animals, or helping keep order during busy meal times."

His mother, Lei Lei, a community member who presented at the same station, said the evening changed her sense of her own neighborhood.

"Japanese origami, African drums — the familiar space was transformed into a mini global village," she said. "The world is big, with endless sights to see; yet the world is also small, so small that a single community cultural expo can bring hearts close together."

Benjamin Beres, a fifth grade student at Alexander who visited the booths with his parents and older sister, put it more simply.

"The activities were fun and I liked making art and playing games," he said. "Most of all, I loved talking to everyone and learning from people from different countries."

Measuring the seed

Organizers surveyed attendees at both events. Of 41 respondents at the Athens fair, 92% said they would recommend it to others; all 11 respondents at the Alexander fair said the same.

Dr. Suraiya Padiyath Abdulla, who analyzed the results, reported that participants described increased cultural awareness and a strong sense of inclusion, and identified event organization and broader country representation as areas for growth.

Lijing Yang, president of the Athens Global Education Network, framed those results as a beginning rather than an outcome.

"Global competence develops across multiple stages over a long period of time — starting from awareness, to values and attitudes, to skills, and ultimately to action," Yang said. "Today at the fair, we are planting a small seed. Perhaps one day, the young participants and families who attended will travel to these countries, build international friendships, engage in cultural or business exchanges, and contribute to a more interconnected community and world."

The Global Education Fair is a collaboration between the Athens Global Education Network (AGEN) and the Ohio Valley International Council (OVIC), OHIO's K-12 outreach program. 

"It is so gratifying to see the interactions between students from different countries in the co-creation of these programs," said Catherine Cutcher, associate director of the Center for International Studies and director of OVIC. 

"The Global Education Fair continues to be my favorite community event of the year and a highlight of our K-12 outreach program," Cutcher said. "The children and their parents always comment about how they appreciate the international students at Ohio University and what a wonderful asset they are for our community. This is the world I want to live in." 

Over the 2025-26 academic year, OVIC delivered 35 school visits and events reaching 1,700 students and teachers across southeast Ohio. In its fifth year, organizers hope to extend the fair to the Nelsonville-York Local Schools alongside Athens City and Alexander.

The Global Education Fair is supported by the Center for Community Impact, College of Arts and Sciences, College of Health Sciences and Professions, Office of Global Affairs, Office of the Provost, Patton College of Education, Russ College of Engineering and Technology, School of International Studies and Languages, and Scripps College of Communication. This program was not sponsored or endorsed by the Athens City School District or Alexander Local Schools.