In Japan, there is a custom in which women give chocolates to men on February 14th. In return, men give cookies to women on March 14th. The purpose of this behavior is not only to show love, but to show gratitude. – Yoshi, Japan

In my country, for the first date, usually the man invites the woman to the restaurant and he pays the check. If he is very romantic, he gives flowers to the girl. In the case of a marriage proposal often the man chooses a particular important place for the couple and he gives the ring to the future bride! – Maria, Italy

Marriage customs in Thailand are Buddhist. [The bride and groom] offer food to the monks, wear traditional Thai dress and there is Thai music and food for the party. Praiya,  Thailand

New Scholarship for Citizens of Iraq, Iran, Syria, Libya, Yemen, Somalia, and Sudan

On January 27 2017, our new president signed an order banning all refugees and every citizen of 7 countries from entering the United States. This was an unacceptable development for anyone who knows the history of this country. This is a nation built, in large part, by immigrants from all over the world. Some of the first Americans were religious minorities fleeing oppression in their own countries. That is why freedom of religion is written into our constitution – the original law of the land.

In the past, as each new wave of immigrants has arrived, yes, they have faced discrimination. But each group, Germans, Irish, Italians, Asians, Jews, Mexicans (and on and on) have found a place and made a valuable contribution to our society. While our country has not always kept faithful to this idea of welcoming newcomers, it has always been at its strongest when it does.

Since 1886, The Statue of Liberty has sat in New York Harbor and welcomed these waves of new Americans. A plaque on the statue famously reads:

“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

That poem was written by Emma Lazurus who was active in working with refugees fleeing religious oppression. This is the spirit of the United States. And it’s in this spirit that we have decided to offer a scholarship that will provide 1 free month of tuition to students from the countries targeted by this presidential order. Please spread the word and encourage friends and family from these 7 countries to see if they qualify for this new scholarship.