Multicultural Ambassadors
Understanding your cultural reference point to accept others
The Multicultural Ambassadors are a group of students who work as Resident Assistants (RA) for the Department of Residence Life. The mission of the program is to create an atmosphere in the residence halls that accepts and appreciates the importance of difference. In doing so the Multicultural Ambassadors volunteer beyond their duties as RAs to develop and implement intercultural programs for the residents.
The Multicultural Ambassadors meet every Wednesday at 4pm in Student Affairs conference room with the Director of Multicultural Programs Judith Josiah-Martin to discuss current trends in the residence halls and the campus community pertaining to cultural differences. From these discussions, they construct programs that address the needs and to take to the community. Their programs are highly interactive and extremely creative that participants not only learn about different cultures, but they also have lots of fun. In addition to programs in the residence halls, the Multicultural Ambassadors provide training to their peer RAs, community groups, and student organizations. They serve as valuable resources in their resident community as well as to the campus.
The Multicultural Ambassadors’ three-step approach to exploring difference
- Understand and value your culture, first
- Develop your curiosity for other cultures
- Accept the reality that their culture is just as valuable as yours is.
Are you looking for a program for your residence hall?
For your student organization?
Wanting to discuss an issue?
Call the Multicultural Ambassadors!
Contact them through Judith Josiah-Martin, Director, 207.581.1406 or judith.josiahmartin@umit.maine.edu
Don’t wait–call today!
Do you want to become a Multicultural Ambassador? If you are interested in becoming a Multicultural Ambassador and have an interest in building communities that appreciate and value diversity, and enjoy conducting presentations, then we encourage you to join us. The process to join is simple. The only requisites are that you have a passion for learning about different cultures, that you are an R.A. and that you fill out the application below and email to judith.josiahmartin@umit.maine.edu.
Bios of the Multicultural Ambassadors
Namastee (Hello)! I am the el captain of Multicultural Ambassadors this year. My name is Bibek Bhattarai and I am a third year Business and Economics double major from Nepal . I am a Resident Assistant since last year in Cumby-where the fun be… and I love it! I enjoy watching reality TV, playing ping-pong and I am slowly turning into a political junky. As said by Whitney Young, Jr., “We may have come over on different ships, but we’re all in the same boat now.” I am a Multicultural Ambassador because it’s about time we make the boat a safe place to live where people not only accept each other but cherish the differences among themselves. Peace!
Hey-Hey Everyone!
I’m Yana, a fourth year Business Administration student. I am an international Student from Uzbekistan ( Central Asia). Although Uzbekistan is a muslim country, I am of korean ethnicity, in addition to that my first language is Russian. I love dancing, meeting new people and sleep :P It is my 2nd year being an MA and I love it!
Hello! I am Rasika Somaweera and I am from Kandy, Sri Lanka . I am senior majoring in International Affairs and I represent Team YAK (York, Aroostook, Kennebec). I am a Resident Assistant (RA) in Aroostook Hall. I enjoy singing, movies, current affairs, wildlife and travel. I am all about diversity and multicultural activities. My college life has been influenced and enriched by the diversity I have experienced on and off-campus and I enjoy sharing my experiences with the campus community.
Hello!
My real name is Narantuguldur Saijrakh, but people call me simply Nick, for obvious reasons. I’m from Mongolia , large landlocked country sandwiched between China and Russia . I’m a visiting student here in the University of Maine, majoring in Business Adm.- Accounting. I’m not a simple exchange student, but I came here as an exchange Resident Assistant in Oxford Hall from the American University in Bulgaria . Therefore, this is my first year as an RA here in UMaine, but I have been RA for two years already. I’m actively involved in any type of sports, especially soccer. In my free time, I love to watch movies and taking photographs of picturesque scenery.. I have visited and lived in numerous countries and places, therefore have experienced many diverse cultures, so I know they importance of understanding and appreciating differences of cultures, race, and people. Due to my strong desire to help spreading the awareness of diversity, I joined the Multicultural Ambassadors.
Hello everyone! I am Jenny and I am a fourth year Business Administration Major with a concentration in Finance. This is my 2nd year as an R.A. and I am currently residing in Oxford Hall. In my spare time, I enjoy drawing, seeing movies, running, collecting pens, photography, eating exotic foods, and traveling. I joined the Multicultural Ambassadors in order to increase cultural awareness on campus and to educate residents on campus of all the diversity that we have here. By doing so, I hope to promote a fun and safe atmosphere for all walks of life.
Hi Everyone I am Sushil Khadka from Nepal . I am third year bio-chemical engineering major. I like travelling, reading books, swimming in current rivers, and climbing mounatins. I am the Resident Assistant at Sommersett Hall. I like living in a mixed community with people from different sections of the world with different culture, and language. And I enjoy being a multicultural ambassador, and hang out with D.Lo.
Hi there! I’m Calvin Do. I’m a second year Business Major. I am originally from Vietnam and I have been in the States for about seven years. I participated in Multicultural Ambassadors because I love diversity! In my free time, i love to hangout with friends, playing soccer, ping pong, volley ball, foosball, you name it! One more thing about me is that i like to dance!
Hi! I’m Benjamin Rehmeyer. I’m a Second Year Landscape Horticulture major, with a concentration in design. This is my second semester as an RA and I’m currently in Aroostook Hall. In my free time I enjoy participating in Intramural Sports, playing on the club Ultimate Frisbee team, traveling, and hanging out with friends. I joined the multicultural ambassadors because I saw it as a great way to work with peers to raise awareness about differences in culture and diversity throughout the campus.
Vanakam! (Hello in Tamizh, which is my mother tounge) I’m Senthil Sockalingam (pronounced Sockalingum, NOT SockalingHAM! Lol) I’m a Fourth Year Business Adminstration (Concentration in Accounting) Major. I’m from a small island called Malaysia which is in the South East Asian region of the world. This is my 2nd year as an RA in York Hall. I’m into djing, football (what you call soccer) and I have a thing for food….all kinds of it…..oh and I love being brown! Lol. I have traveled quite a bit as my family is spread out across the globe and have seen many interesting things that the world has to offer. I became a multicultural ambassador because I wanted to bring out different cultures to students through my experiences that I have personally had with other cultures and ethnicities. I’m always up for a chat on race, religion, ethnicity and anything that people are afraid to touch on or talk about, so drop me an email anytime. Cheers!
