On April 20, 2013, Hocking College English as a Second Language (ESL) international students gave presentations about their countries and cultures to elderly residents of Primrose Residential Care in Lancaster.

The student presentations are a part of the "Travel the World" Hocking College service-learning program developed and launched in 2011 by Dominika Adamova, Hocking College’s ESL coordinator. Every semester, ESL students visit and present in a local school as a way to educate about diversity and to give back to community. This semester, Adamova cooperated with Lisa Sells, Arts Business and Information Technology department administrative assistant, who suggested doing the presentations for the Primrose community.

"The program is based on the premise that becoming familiar with other cultures opens up horizons. As such, it promotes diversity, and it has a potential to support intercultural communication," Adamova said.

The ESL students from China, Venezuela, Korea and Mexico each prepared a short factual presentation about their country accompanied by a fun, interactive activity representing their culture. The Primrose residents played Bingo with the Venezuelans, wrote a word in Chinese, watched Mexican traditional dances while eating a traditional Venezuelan meal called “arepa,” and took a quiz about South Korea to win international prizes. The presentations serve as the final project to evaluate the ESL students' vocabulary, speaking and listening skills.

The event was a huge success, not only with the Primrose residents, but also with the ESL students themselves. Some of them are planning on returning to Primrose to spend their free time with the residents by talking and playing games, as they remind the students of their families and grandparents back home.