WAU Students Visit Libya Embassy in DC
On Friday, October 28, a group of Washington Adventist University students visited the Embassy of the State of Libya in Washington, DC. The student group was part of the WAU Model United Nations program that is housed within the Honors College at WAU. This year’s MUN team will represent the State of Libya at the National Model United Nations (NMUN) conference in Arlington, Virginia this weekend. At the embassy, students met for over an hour with members of Libya’s diplomatic team, including Sultan A. Salem and Ahmed Alshanta, both of whom are part of the academic and cultural attaché team at the embassy.
During a briefing in a conference room, WAU President Weymouth Spence, who accompanied the students on the visit, thanked the Embassy for the invitation and briefly highlighted some of the international opportunities that exist at WAU. Mr Salem and Mr. Alshanta followed with a presentation that highlighted the historical, political, and cultural background of the country. Students were then able to ask specific questions related to the committees they will represent at the NMUN conference.
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“This is exactly the kind of education experience that we want for our students,” said Jonathan Scriven, the Director of the MUN program at WAU. “Meeting with leaders who are representing their country gives meaningful experiences that go beyond what you can get in the classroom. This is real life! We are so happy that we can facilitate these kinds of real-world experiences and take advantage of the location we have in the heart of one of the most important political and international cities in the world.”
Model United Nations (MUN) is an experiential learning activity based on the activities of the United Nations General Assembly and the UN Security Council. Students take on the role of diplomats from countries all over the world as they discuss and debate significant global events and crises. During a typical conference, participants work collaboratively to propose and adopt formal resolutions that attempt to solve some of the world’s most pressing problems. The WAU Honors College hosts a Model United Nations conference for high school students called CAPITALMUN each spring. For information about how your school can participate please contact Dr. Jonathan Scriven at jscriven@wau.edu.
