News
October 20, 2022

School Celebrates Global Week with Lectures and a First-Ever 'Accent Day'

Christine Kueter
BSN students celebrating Accent Day, part of UVA Global Week
During UVA Global Week, the School will offer a series of events to celebrate student travels, a talk by the dean, and a student-planned 'Accent Day,' organized by these accent-having BSN students.

A roster of events before and during UVA's Global Week (Oct. 29 to Nov. 4) will celebrate students' studies and research abroad, faculty members' expertise, and a first-ever student-led "Accent Day" with food, culture, and community.

  • Oct. 24 - Australia Semester Exchange info session about study abroad opportunities "Down Under" CMNEB 1120, 12-12:30 p.m.
  • Oct. 26 - Third-year BSN students present on their travels to Spain, Italy, and Cyprus
    MCL 1004, 12-12:30 p.m
  • Oct. 28 - CNL students discuss their time in Roatan, Honduras, and Kigali, Rwanda
    MCL 1003, 12-12:45 p.m
  • Oct. 31 - "Accent Day", a celebration of English-as-a-second-language learners with free Middle Eastern and Asian cuisine for the UVA School of Nursing and UVA community
    McLeod Hall lobby, 12-2 p.m.
  • Nov. 4 - "Study abroad program proposal workshop for faculty"
    Hotel A, 10-11 a.m., sponsored by the International Studies Office
  • Nov. 4 - a Global Week lecture by Dean Marianne Baernholdt
    CMNEB G120, 12-1 p.m. ** CANCELLED**
Accent Day button
"Accent Day," says nursing student organizer Abdallah Majer Al Jarjawi, a native of Palestine, is a chance to celebrate and embrace his and other students' languages and cultures.
0/2

Second-year BSN student Abdallah Majer Al Jarjawi and his fellow English-as-a-second language student organizers say "Accent Day" "aims to normalize being an English-as-a-second-language person with an accent and gives a platform for ESL students to showcase their pride in their backgrounds."

Al Jarjawi, a native of Palestine who moved with his family to Houston, Tx., at 14, speaking no English, completed the 8th, 9th, 10, 11th, and 12th grades in three years. He graduated from Bellaire High School in Houston in June 2021 and organized his school's first-ever ESL graduation ceremony, for which he offered the valedictory address. Now in his second year of nursing school, Al Jarjawi created Accent Day to underscore diverse students' need to "be proud of their non-American accents."

"As future nurses," he said, "we are the face of the health system in every hospital. We should always have empathy and appreciation for differences, whether it’s skin color, religion, background, or accents. We hope to deliver a message of appreciation, and we believe that education is where we start."

Al Jarjawi's co-organizers include fellow BSN students Katherine Flores, Elise Nganou, Sharis Chung, and Ashley Beck.

###

Tags: