On 3 March, three University of Westminster students studying International Relations took part in the prestigious annual BISA Model NATO at the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, gaining insights into the world of diplomacy and international cooperation.
The Model brought together 30 universities from across the UK in a day-long simulation of a crisis scenario, allowing participating students. Each university represented a NATO ally, and the three Westminster students represented Romania.
The students, Comfort Ilozobhie and Artemis Rabello from the Politics and International Relations BA course, and Nesreen Yousfi from the International Relations BA course, were selected through a competitive process where they had to provide a statement explaining why they wanted to participate in the Model. They then spent ten weeks preparing for the event by doing research on NATO and Romania’s role within it.
Talking about the event, Magdalena Frennhoff Larsén, Assistant Head of School at the School of Social Sciences, said: “It is a brilliant way for students to develop their diplomatic and negotiating skills, but also to meet and engage with students from other universities. Our Westminster students were simply excellent!”
Comfort Ilozobhie commented: “Model NATO was a fantastic experience that gave me the opportunity to see and understand the hard work that goes into making decisions in international institutions during a crisis. The day included lots of debates and caucuses that definitely polished my public speaking and negotiation skills. And the networking connections I made on the day were invaluable and will definitely be something I cherish.”
Nesreen Yousfi said: “This was a very rewarding and challenging experience that pushed me out of my comfort zone and allowed me to gain experience and insight into the mechanisms of diplomacy and international crisis management."
Artemis Rabello explained: "Being a part of Model NATO provided such an indescribably valuable experience that few other projects within the University are able to match. The opportunity it offers to learn about the inner workings of diplomacy at such a high level, while also having to understand both the country you're representing and the NATO organisation itself, is truly unique. Model NATO completely changed my perception of diplomacy, debating and teamwork. This was such an amazing experience that I cannot recommend enough to all who are interested!"
Learn about International Relations and Politics courses at the University of Westminster.
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