McDaniel College students participate in Model European Union Simulation

A delegation of 12 students from McDaniel College participated in the Model European Union 2021 conference Nov. 11-12 in Washington, D.C.

The students represented both Ireland and the Netherlands and were accompanied by Christianna N. Leahy, chair of the Political Science and International Studies department at McDaniel.

The Mid-Atlantic European Union Simulation engages students in discussions and debates that are both current and topical on the European Union (EU)’s agenda. Over 100 students from colleges and universities throughout the mid-Atlantic region participate in the simulation.

The topic for the conference was the European Green Deal and the students had briefings on the Green Deal, alternative energy, and Brexit.

Two McDaniel students, senior Maddy Lee and junior Zainab Bangura, also won awards.

This was the 20th year that McDaniel College has participated in the program. To prepare for the conference, McDaniel students, who are selected by Professor Leahy after taking her “Politics of Europe” course, immerse themselves in the workings of the European Union as an additional out-of-class activity. In addition to the Model European Union, McDaniel students also are involved with the Model United Nations, Model Arab League, and the Maryland Student Legislature.

McDaniel also offers the National Security Fellows Program, which pairs with any program of study to provide McDaniel students with robust knowledge, skills, and experience in national security as well as the ability to specialize in an area of interest, such as interstate conflict, intra-state political violence, cybersecurity, ethics, and human rights.

The McDaniel students who participated included:

• Zainab Bangura, a junior Political Science major from Gaithersburg, Md.
• Caleb Bowden, a first-year student from Norman, Okla.
• Isabela Hernandez, junior Political Science major and a student-designed major in French Studies, from Montgomery Village, Md.
• Genevieve Hill, a sophomore from Rockville, Md.
• Maddy Lee, a senior Political Science major from Westminster, Md.
• Randolph Mitchell, a junior Environmental Studies and Political Science major from Germantown, Md.
• Stephanie Portillo, a junior Political Science major and a student-designed major in French Studies, from Silver Spring, Md.
• Alina Philip, a senior Political Science and French major from Germantown, Md.
• Miles Ruffin, a junior Political Science major from Washington, D.C.
• Allie Scharnberger, a junior Political Science major from Kensington, Md.
• Samuel Stoop, an exchange student from the Netherlands
• Luci Vallor, a Political Science and Psychology major from Woodbine, Md.