SDSU prepares to host the centennial Little International

Students at South Dakota State University are hard at work preparing for the 100^th Little International, getting the events and arena ready to welcome hundreds of visitors.

For many Little “I” participants, like this year’s manager Cody Gifford, the organization has been an important part of their lives.

“I judged in Little I from 7^th grade, it’s really one of the things that brought me to SDSU at the end of the day, and I think coming to college and finding a club with so many people involved in it and really build connections through college,” said Gifford.

Now, in just a few days, Gifford, along with 164 student staff members, will kick off the biggest Little “I” yet: the centennial celebration.

Contributed by Little International

“This has been a long time coming,” said Gifford. “The dedication has really been impeccable this year. And I think everyone’s spirits, when it comes to the Friday of Little “I” and seeing everything get put together and start rolling, is just going to be great.”

This year, the organization has added new events to the weekend, including alumni activities and socials.

Contributed by Little International

“We always hope to get our alumni involved every year but being the 100^th and the centennial celebration, we would really like to see a really large turn-out,” said Gifford.

The group is even getting other organizations in campus involved in the festivities, like the South Dakota Agricultural Heritage Museum, the location of the very first Little “I.”

To honor their rich Little “I” history, the museum has spent all year collecting items and stories from Little I’s past and curating an exhibit to open to the public.

“It’s such a rich part of the history of SDSU in terms of agricultural life here, so we really knew it would be a great fit for an exhibit here,” said Sarah Jacobs, exhibit coordinator at the South Dakota Agricultural Heritage Museum.

1/3: A Little International poster on display in the exhibit from 1921.

2/3: A 50th Little International pin on display at the exhibit.

3/3: A Little International trophy that will be included in the exhibit.

The exhibit will showcase a wide variety of memorabilia, from photos and stories to trophies and T-shirts.

“We’ve had a lot of really great trophies that have been donated. It’s kind of interesting to see how those have evolved over the years,” said Jacobs. “We had an oral history of someone who was involved in some home economics demonstrations with earlier Little “I” that got to demonstrate working the first microwave within the state of South Dakota, which was kind of a cool story.”

“I’m hoping that they take away what Little “I” exactly is and how people come together to showcase agriculture, not only within the community, but within the state as well,” said Jacobs.

“The memories, the lifelong connections that you build and the leadership skills that you gain from being a part of this organization are really what I think makes it appeal to so many college kids,” said Gifford.

SDSU’s Little international will be hosted in the Animal Science arena March 31 and April 1. You can find the complete schedule of events at https://sdsulittleinternational.com/schedule-of-events .