International Trade Show sees students presenting South American culture

TROY, Ala. (TROJANVISION) — This year’s annual International Trade Show transported students to South America through a variety of presentations.

Troy University often refers to itself as “Alabama’s International University” and takes great pride in the diversity of its curriculums and student body. Wednesday’s International Trade Show was a display of that mantra’s importance to the management program, and one that particularly impressed associate professor, Dr. Clint Relyea.

“It seems like every year they exceed [expectations],” Relyea said. “They go above and beyond because they talk to the students who did it the last year and they figure out how they’re going to do it.”

Management students dressed up in culturally-appropriate garb, designed tables that showed off elements of the culture, and even brought native food and drink for viewers to try. For Relyea, though, the event was more than just fun cultural exposure. It was an opportunity for his students to learn the importance of broadening their horizons.

“This is another way for them to understand things that are different than what they’re used to because they learn all about the culture, the economy, and that kind of stuff. They act like trade representatives of the particular countries that they were assigned, so they have to learn everything about it.”

However, creating displays was no simple task. One group member explained that it was a long, in-depth process that no one could have been able to do alone or in one night.

“Our group, we met once a week, throwing ideas off, trying to raise money to buy certain things, coming up with ideas and doing the research first and foremost to see what we needed,” said senior risk management and insurance major Tucker Jones. “It’s been a semester-long process, that’s not something we just threw up in like 12 hours. It took a little bit of time. Especially waiting on Amazon. The costumes barely got here in time!”

Judges graded the students on their cultural details, creativity, and ability to sell their country. Despite the competition, several students said they were supportive of, and impressed by, their peers’ displays.

“Everybody got their own unique ideas, and I know a bunch of them so like I can tell they put their personalities into it,” said senior, research management major, Xavier Dejarnett. “I think everybody here is competing well, and I really love everybody’s ideas.”

” I’ve seen a lot of people, a lot of my friends, been doing really good,” Jones told TrojanVision. “I love to see the creativity they used. There’s a straw hut behind me, and it looks really great.”

Some groups took a lighthearted and fun approach to their display (Jones wore a chili costume and Dejarnett wore a poncho), while others went the route of a professional trade presentation. But whichever method they chose, creativity was a major judging criteria.