As the leaves on Guilford College’s campus turn shades of gold and red, students from across the globe bring their own colors and customs to the season. People celebrate many different holidays during the fall. From Dia de Los Muertos to Thanksgiving, everyone has an opportunity to celebrate. For many international and out-of-state students, autumn at Guilford feels both familiar and foreign.
For Shanmukh Malyala, an Early College student from Hyderabad, India, fall is defined by Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights. “It’s one of the happiest times of the year,” Malyala said. “We clean our homes, decorate with diyas [small oil lamps], and share candy with friends and family.”
Being thousands of miles away from home has changed the way he celebrates, but not the meaning behind it. “It’s hard not being with family,” he said. “Last year, I went to the Diwali celebration downtown. It wasn’t quite the same, but it still brought that joy and light.”
While Malyala celebrates Diwali, Alex Chen, a student from San Francisco, celebrates the Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Mooncake Festival.
“It’s all about the reunion,” Chen said. “My family went to China to celebrate when I was a kid. I met family members I’d never seen before. It was really cool to meet new people and watch the fireworks.”
Though far from home, Chen continues the tradition at Guilford by sharing mooncakes with friends.“Most people here have never had one,” he said. “Some love them; others think they’re too sweet. But everyone wants to try, and I think that’s pretty cool.”
Chen added, “It’s cool seeing how people respond to your traditions. It makes you realize that even though our holidays are different, the feelings—love, gratitude, family—are the same,” he said.
For William Jarrett, a student from Tallahassee, Florida, no fall season is complete without Halloween. “When I was a kid, it was all about trick-or-treating and staying up late watching scary movies,” he said. “Now it’s more about the creativity. Making costumes, decorations, and carving pumpkins.”
Jarrett said college Halloween feels different but still brings people together.
“Last year, some friends and I all dressed up as different horror movie characters, and I was Michael Myers,” he said. “We made the costumes ourselves, and they turned out pretty good. I hope we do it again this year. It reminded me that Halloween’s really about community and fun.”
Despite their different backgrounds, each student agreed that Guilford’s campus creates space for their traditions and for sharing them with others.
“I think that’s what makes Guilford special,” Malyala said. “You can bring your own culture and mix it with everyone else’s. It feels like everyone gets to celebrate everyone else’s holidays.”
Chen echoed that sentiment. “Even if our holidays look different, they all connect us,” he said. “We all like celebrating together.”
As autumn deepens across campus, the joy of shared traditions and celebrations is coming in as strongly as ever. Events both on campus and off give students opportunities to find community, celebrate their culture, and learn new traditions.
