Six SUNY Jamestown Community College students traveled to New York City to compete in the State University of New York Model European Union during the spring semester.
The annual competition draws in competitors from all SUNY campuses and other schools around the country. JCC was the only two-year school in the competition.
JCC had two delegations representing the Netherlands and Finland. They consisted of students Everina Mustafa-Bennett, Ayomide Israel-Akinbo, Carter and Drew Roggenbaum, Jubal Samuelson, and Drew Wigren.
Even though JCC was one of the smaller delegations and the only community college, both groups won awards for outstanding proposal writing. JCC had two proposals up for acceptance, and one was chosen for discussion.
Students are required to take a political science course called The European Union to participate in the event. The class is a fast-paced, deep dive into the history and workings of the European Union.
Don De Angelo, an adjunct professor, is the faculty moderator for the course and team competition. JCC became involved in the event thanks to retired professor Dr. Greg Rabb, who is one of the founding directors of SUNY MEU and chairperson of the board.
Samuelson said that “studying the European Union helped me to understand more of the actual workings of the simulation.”
The class offers a thorough examination of how the EU is structured and the various processes to pass legislation.
“Preparing for the competition required extensive research into the structure and functioning of the European Union,” Mustafa-Bennett said.
Delegate Drew Roggenbaum added: “The prep work really set the JCC delegations apart from some of the other colleges without a doubt.”
The weekend began with a major challenge for the team, as their rented van was not available when it was time to leave. Instead, they drove in their own cars to New York City.
“Everyone at JCC was working so hard to get things to come together and the Business Office really came through to help us get to the competition,” De Angelo said.
After opening ceremonies and a dinner/reception, students returned to their hotels to prepare for the competition. They also had time to sightsee and meet students from other colleges.
Delegate Israel-Akinbo may have summed it up best: “Overall, participating in the Model EU competition can be a valuable and rewarding experience for college students like me who are interested in politics, internal relations, and diplomacy.”