International Relations Club Recognized

From the February 2015 Desktop News | The Alabama International Relations Club at UA was recently named the Most Outstanding Large Delegation at the Harvard National Model United Nations-Latin America conference in Lima, Peru, the premier conference in South America. A group of 10 UA students traveled to the weeklong event, where they debated international politics and discussed solutions to critical global issues with some 500 students from universities around the world.

The club received the Most Outstanding Large Delegation award for its contributions to the discussion of global issues at the conference.

“We achieved this accomplishment by actively participating in debate, providing innovative ideas regarding these issues and convincing other delegates to implement our solutions,” said Brett Spicer, club president and a master’s student studying economics. “This is the most prestigious award AIRC has ever received in our decorated and successful past.”

Contributing to the club’s recognition were two AIRC members who received individual awards at the conference. Brandon Hooks, a junior majoring in international studies, was honored as Outstanding Delegate, and Anjana Venkatesan, a master’s student studying biology, received the Best Delegate title, as well as being named Rapporteur for the committee in which she worked. These awards represent the top distinctions that individuals can earn within a committee.

“I attribute our success to the hard work and determination of our delegation and the commitment of The University of Alabama in allowing its students to experience education on a global scale,” Spicer said.

The following College of Arts and Sciences students attended the conference.

  • Whitney Cravens, junior, political science and management, Columbia, Missouri
  • Emily Griswold, junior, international studies, Montgomery, Alabama
  • Brandon Hooks, junior, international studies, Wetumpka, Alabama
  • Maunica Malladi, junior, political science, Montgomery, Alabama
  • Alexandra Moffitt, University Scholars master’s student, political science and French, Memphis, Tennessee
  • Anjana Venkatesan, master’s student, biology, Mason, Ohio

Law student Robert Hannah, journalism and business student Olivia Hodge, economics master’s student Brett Spicer and engineering student Jonathan Vincent also attended the conference.