President and Mrs. Papadakis hosted 20 international students at The Orchards for their annual Thanksgiving dinner for students on November 12. Invitees were: John Stratoudakis (representing the Hellenic Society of Drexel University), Nick Linardopoulos (Greece), Iman Lordgooei (Iran), Gali Melnik (Israel), Michal Cohen (Israel), Anna Russo (Italy), Yuko Sato (Japan), Wang-Ching Lam (Malaysia), Doina Lepuras (Moldova), Meryem Raqai-Chaoui (Morocco), Tjashana Browne (Netherlands Antilles), Monika Wiacek (Poland), Emmanuel Verikakis (representing the Hellenic Society of Drexel University), Yaroslav Volkov (Russia), Mwombeki Baregu (Tanzania), Yevhen Hateniuk (Ukraine), Justin Haltermann (representing the Undergraduate Student Government Association) and Tamilla Kurbanova (Uzbekistan).

The dinner gave the students the opportunity to learn about the American tradition of Thanksgiving as well as each others’ cultures. The menu, which featured dishes with African, South American, Greek, Asian and North American influences such as sweet potato biscuit, rotisserie smoked turkey, spinach cheese rolls with feta and cranberry walnut pie, was prepared by Drexel culinary arts students, under the direction of Fran McFadden.