Kati R. Csoman came from an immigrant Hungarian family. Her father was a steelworker in Beaver County, and there wasn’t a lot of money for college.
When her mentor, University of Pittsburgh professor Robert P. Donnorummo, suggested she apply for a scholarship to study abroad in her native Hungary, she did. The money would come from the committee of the Hungarian Room at the University of Pittsburgh’s Nationality Rooms.
Some of the funds raised for such studies come from sales of ethnic food and wares at Sunday’s Holiday Open House for the Nationality Rooms, taking place from noon to 4 p.m. inside the Cathedral of Learning on Pitt’s campus in Oakland.
”I didn’t imagine myself doing that as a part of what I studied, but that’s how I got into international education,” said Csoman, director of the Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs at the University Center for International Studies. “These spaces can be a convening space for the exploration of identity. These rooms are where people can still find a place where they can come together and they can share about their culture very proudly and engage with others in the area.”
This is the 34th year for the open house. The rooms, located on the first and third floors, will be decorated through Jan. 16. From nativity scenes to wreaths with red bows and towering trees with colorful ornaments, each room will be decorated in its holiday best.
Organizers expect 3,000 people to attend throughout the afternoon. Admission is free.
Two of the 31 rooms won’t be open. The Syria-Lebanon Room is closed for the event because of the delicate nature of its historic space, an 18th-century interior from a Damascus home. The Korean Heritage Room is not open this year because it is undergoing a wood floor restoration.
The Nationality and Heritage Room committees raise funds for the scholarships and other cultural programming, and choose decorations for the room inspired by traditions of culture and heritage. A tree in the French Room has ornaments made by the French students at Franklin Regional High School.
The gift shop will be open and musical performances are scheduled for the event.
“This is an opportunity for the community to see the rooms and learn about the international exchange program and foster community in a shared space,” said Mona Wiley, associate director of the Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs at the University Center for International Studies. “These are not just living museums. These are also used as classrooms. I’ve learned so many cool things about the rooms. They have a rich, vast history.”
The first rooms were dedicated in 1938, a year after the Cathedral of Learning was officially dedicated. Ruth Crawford Mitchell, the program’s first director and a lecturer at Pitt, was inspired by her second-generation students to learn more about the immigrant communities in Pittsburgh.
A report from her to Chancellor John Bowman in 1927 details the theme of the central portion of the Cathedral of Learning as “America rising of the cultures and contributions of the past.”
The scholarship program, which began in the late 1940s, has supported nearly 1,800 students and is approaching $5 million total, Csoman said.
The rooms are integral to the building, Csoman said, and represent the city.
“These rooms were built by the community and it’s Pitt’s commitment to welcome the community to learn from these spaces,” Csoman said. “An open house is a perfect way to view all the rooms. We invite everyone to stop in and see them.”
