Last week, 6 UIUC students under the unwavering mentorship and guidance of Prof. Vieux Toure of CAS and the Department of Linguistics travelled to Washington DC to participate in the two-day Model African Union program at Howard University. These students were Simeon Onaolapo, Tobi Adewunmi, Esther Akinyoade, Marisol Jones Woods, Pharah Green, and Ganiyat Daranijo. They chose to represent the country of Niger - a felicitous choice as they were able to converse in advance with our UIUC alumnus, former Ambassador to Niger, Eric Whitaker, in preparation for the program. A highlight of the trip was the student's opportunity to meet with the Nigerien ambassador to the United States, the Honorable Hassane Idi. One of the students reported: "One of the highlights of my trip was visiting the Niger embassy, where I gained a deeper understanding of the country we were representing. It was an eye-opening experience to hear firsthand experiences and facts from people directly connected to Niger...Going to the embassy made me feel more prepared and confident about representing Niger, especially since I was initially nervous. As a biochemistry major, this conference was outside of my comfort zone, but it turned out to be both fun and enlightening. Acting as a delegate was a skill-building activity. I had to step into the role of a Nigerien delegate, setting aside my American perspective...Through the committee meetings, I gained insight into diplomacy and improved my teamwork and public speaking skills. It was fascinating to observe how different personalities interacted within each committee." According to another student, "I had an amazing time at the Model African Union Conference. As a person who wants to become a diplomat soon, this experience cemented that goal for me. I was originally nervous about the experience because I have never participated in Model Union before, but once we got past the first day, and I was able to see the practical methods people were using and were able to do those things myself, it became very easy-going and interesting to participate in. I will say that I also had a very good group, and the professor made the experience much better...I was also able to explore with some of my peers from the cohort, and that made my first time in Washington D.C. very special." | |
