AUCA members of Student Senate attended the International Student Leadership Conference in Spain

May 8, 2015

Meerim Nurbekova is a sophomore student majoring in International and Comparative Politics at AUCA. She is also a member of the university’s Student Senate. Last month, Meerim went to Madrid, Spain, to attend the International Student Leadership Conference (ISLC) held at Saint Louis University from April 23 to 26. Meerim shares her impressions, experience and some of the challenges she faced.

This ISLC is the leadership organization of American International Universities. Since 2012, it brings together representatives of the Student Governments from Association of American International Colleges and Universities representing over 35,000 undergraduate students from one of the American Universities.

“I was excited and happy to receive SILC support because this conference was very important for me as a Senator and for my future career. Other AUCA Senate members and I were honored to represent AUCA there.

During the conference, I learned about the differences and levels of power of the Student Senate from other American universities located in Madrid, Paris, Beirut, Rome and Thessaloniki, and their differences.

I attended the guest lectures of successful businessmen, politicians, professors at the universities as Oxford and Boston, chiefs of staffs from different Embassies, and people who had worked and had promoted the US President Barack Obama during his election campaign. I had a chance to build a new network of talented, open-minded and active leaders. And it is important, because in my future career I will need such professionals.    

The most memorable moment for me was when I met Dr. Abiodun Williams, president of The Hague Institute for Global Justice. He is an American political writer and an expert in conflict prevention in major conflict zones like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Libya, Tunisia and Egypt. I had the honor to discuss with him about the current situation in Ukraine, US and Russia relations, and ISIS. I am even more motivated to study international politics than before.

I am really thankful to SILC for its support and I recommend AUCA students to apply to different international conferences to broaden their horizons and feed their motivation to study even harder.”

Brief Information about the conference:

This International Student Leadership Conference (ISLC) bring together representatives of the Student Governments from Association of American International Colleges and Universities representing an enrollment of over 35,000 undergraduate students who are pursuing their studies at one of the American Universities. This association is a leadership organization of American International Universities whose member institutions “…promote the pursuit of learning and of democratic values so their graduates are prepared for the rapidly changing needs of the 21th century”. (Cairo Declaration of the AAICU, 2008). The ISLC carries forward this tradition. Past Conferences: 2014 American University in Bulgaria, 2013 John Cabot University in Rome, 2012 John Cabot University in Rome. Next year such conference will be held at the American University in Beirut.

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