Student Development held the last Story Space of the Fall semester in the Multicultural Center, with the theme of ‘I Am Thankful For…’ Both new and returning guests stepped forward to express their gratitude towards friends, family, Stockton, and everything they loved and cherished with all their hearts. The stories set a grateful and satisfying tone throughout the event, reminding us all that everyone has something to be thankful for.

An international student expressed her gratitude for Stockton’s welcoming nature, which helped her adapt to a new country miles away from her home. Despite being a PWI (Predominantly White Institution), she found a community she could relate to and felt accepted by all the other students and faculty on campus. She was grateful for the diversity celebrated all over Stockton. Many other students were thankful to Stockton for offering high-quality education, mental health resources, and other services.

One student expressed, “I’m grateful for being at Stockton and being able to stand in my shoes today because I’ve gone through so many obstacles in life that were very hard to get over… Stockton and the Multicultural Center have given me more opportunities.”

International student Khrystyna Svystovych returned to Story Space to tell the guests about the scholarship program called FLEX (Future Leaders Exchange), which was what enabled her to attend a high school in Ohio as an exchange student, and later provided resources for her to pursue higher education in New Jersey, especially during the war in Ukraine, her home country. She found an ad for FLEX on Instagram by chance and decided to apply. She expressed her thanks towards the program and towards her parents, stating, “The way they reacted after [I told them] I was planning to go to America for a year… they were not like, ‘Oh, no, you’re not’. They were shocked, but thankfully, they were very accepting.” Svystovych hadn’t told her parents she applied to the program, not expecting to be a finalist and get the scholarship. She was thankful they hadn’t reacted negatively.

Parth Thakkar gave his own story at the end of the event, expressing his gratitude towards his parents for providing opportunities for him and his sister after moving from India to the United States in his youth. “It was really hard for my parents to make that transition,” Thakkar said. “They wanted to go back really badly, but they always thought about me and my sister, and ended up staying here. I’m really thankful for that.”

The next Story Space will be held in the Spring Semester.