Thanksgiving Together
In 2019, ISSS launched Thanksgiving Together, which placed interested SJSU international students into the homes of faculty and staff volunteers to share a Thanksgiving meal together. This year, due to the global pandemic, we are reimagining Thanksgiving Together as a virtual event that still provides wonderful opportunities for cross-cultural sharing and connecting with our Global Spartan community. We hope you will join us this November for Thanksgiving Together: Virtual Edition!
Sign Up Today!
Who can participate?
SJSU students, staff, faculty, and alumni.
How does it work?
There are 4 easy steps to our Thanksgiving Together: Virtual Edition.
Step 1: Register (now through November 8)
- All participants should complete this registration form no later than November 8, 2020.
- We’ll take the information you provide and partner you up with someone.
- Already have a partner in mind? No problem! Simply include your partner’s name on the registration form and be sure to have your partner also register and indicate your name on their form.
Step 2: Introductions & Schedule a Virtual Meetup
- We’ll send matched partners an email introducing you to each other and instructions for next steps. This will happen the week of November 9.
- Once you receive your introductory email, you and your partner take over the communication. Start by introducing yourself via email, and then find a time to schedule a virtual meeting before December 1.
Step 3: Virtual Meetup (before December 1)
- The goal of the virtual meeting is to get to know each other, share your Thanksgiving traditions, and learn about other cultural traditions.
- Virtual meetups should take place by December 1. Exactly when and how (e.g., Zoom, Google Meet, FaceTime) you meet is up to each pair to decide. Please allow for 45-minutes to 1 hour for the conversation.
- We’ll provide you virtual meetup ideas complete with suggestions for an icebreaker and some conversation starters, but you are welcome to veer off into other topics of interest.
Step 4: Complete a Reflection (by December 8)
- Participants will be emailed a quick survey to complete by December 8. The survey will include a couple of reflection questions about your experience.
Sign Up Today!
Questions about this program? Email us at isss-programs@sjsu.edu
Thanksgiving Blog Posts & Recipes
In 2020, ISSS partnered with the Nutrtion & Food Science and Packaging program to bring you a series of Thanksgiving-related blog posts complete with easy autumnal recipes. Feel free to read on by clicking on the links below.
- Celebrating Thanksgiving during COVID-19 (by Elise Freche), with Pumpkin Dump Cake recipe.
- Thanksgiving Around the World (by Yeyoung Lee), with Thanksgiving Dinner on a Sheetpan and Cranberry Sauce recipes.
- Thanksgiving in the U.S. (by Lin Tian), with Leftover Mashed Potato Pizza and Leftover Turkey Fried Rice recipes (by Dominic Sumner).
- Thanksgiving Traditions (by ISSS staff)