New art display represents diversity of FIU’s student population

The 2014 peer advisors pose with the “A Better World Starts With Me” art display located outside of the Graham Center.

By Joel Delgado ’12 MS ’17

Many pieces of art try to send a message. Not many pieces of art send their message in 13 different languages.

But that’s exactly what a new art display located next to the south entrance of the Graham Center called “A Better World Starts With Me” does.

The display features the phrases “A Better World Starts With Me, A Better World Starts With Us” translated into the top 13 languages spoken by FIU students and flags representing all the nationalities of FIU’s current student population. Each flag’s size is a correlation to the size of that nation’s student population on campus.

With the goal of bringing awareness to the university’s Global Learning initiatives, the art display provides a visual representation of the internationalism and unity of FIU’s student body and community and inspire students to make a difference in the world around them.

“The message calls for us to be proactive and work together. There is a lot of power in those two phrases,” Graham Center Assistant Director of Building Operations Adriana Trespalacios said.

The idea came from retiring Graham Center Director Ruth Hamilton in hopes of promoting the Global Learning Initiatives’ three main objectives – global awareness, global perspective and global engagement.

In traveling with alumni to different countries all over the world, Hamilton was struck by the prominence and reverence placed on the flag of each nation. Her experiences helped form the initial concept for the display.

The 13 languages in the display, which was installed in November 2013, include English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Hungarian, Russian, Portuguese, Chinese, Hebrew, Turkish, Croatian, and Korean.