The International Student Ambassadors hosted a volleyball tournament to bridge the gap between nations.
Approximately 150 students, international and domestic alike, joined the tournament from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, March 15. The students were grouped together randomly so they could make new friends and the beach could break the language barrier.
The biannual event, hosted in spring and fall, is “one of the most successful events that we have,” said Michael Ayres, events coordinator for the International Student Support Programs.
“It’s a good opportunity for students all over campus to get to meet each other and it’s again, quite a success,” said Ayres. “The beach kind of breaks down all those barriers.”
The event brings international students from all different nations including: Sweden, Norway, China, Japan, Holland, Turkey, and Italy.
“I like to meet new people from different places,” said David Avila, horticulture major. “I was born here in Santa Barbara so it’s cool to meet different people.”
Usually hitting about the 200 mark, there are 12 teams with at least five students per team. A very casual event, there are no official referees and it’s “just to have fun,” said Ayres.
