The resurrection of International Day at NEIU kicked off to a wonderful start, drawing hundreds of students and faculty to the festivities. Originally International Day was a joint event designed to let NEIU promote and celebrate the many cultures  represented at the school that contribute to its diversity as a university. In previous years, the event consisted of a joint effort between students, student organizations, and faculty. However, due to money and time constraints International Day faced being canceled this year.

Despite the challenges posed by budget constraints, a lack of leadership and NEIU administration opting not to participate in the event, student outcry spearheaded by NEIU student Roger Byrd enabled the festivities to continue. In a brief amount of time, Byrd was able to organize this event and enlist multiple student organizations to participate and bring a taste of many different cultures to the student population. Byrd, along with Student Trustee Jesse Nunez , Mervit Ahmed (Public Relations Officer for CALL), Jason Demma from the Division of Student Affairs, International Festival Committee members, VP of Student Affairs Dr. Frank Ross and the contributing organizations who participated, the International day was a huge success.

The halls were filled throughout the day with organizations feeding the stomachs and minds of students. Student organizations such as Undocumented, Resilient & Organized, Tri-Beta Honors Society, and The Pre-Law Society doled out foods such as Irish brownies, conchas, horchata, curries, chili, cookies, falafels and more, most of which were under $4. Microsoft was also present with a stand allowing people to test out the upcoming Windows 8, music was playing throughout the student union and goods like scarves and posters were being sold.

A contest was held among the participating organizations and individuals to judge the displays. In the individual student presentation category, 1st place winner for best Cultural Displaywent to Student Justice for Palestine; 2nd place winner went to S.A.L.E (Pronounced SAH-LEY ) for their Day of the Dead Display;3rd place winner was GLBTQA for highlighting worldwide GLBTQA culture. In the student organization category, Sigma Gamma Lambda National Sorority Inc. came in 1st for the Definition of Cultural Identity; music, dance and traditionalcustom. 2nd place wasan outstanding presentation of South Africa, awarded to thePre-Law Society Club, and the 3rd place winner was awarded to the Seeds Literary & Visual Arts Journalfor theirMulticultural Pot of Knowledge.