UIMF members participated at UVU Club Rush Fall 2022
On September 14-15, 2022, members of the student coalition of clubs participated at
UVU Club Rush
Rachel Welker representing Utah International Mountain Forum during the Club Rush at UVU
As president of Foreign Affairs club and Vice President of Utah International Mountain Forum, it was a blast for me to represent the club at the Utah Valley University (UVU) Club Rush booth in the grand ballroom. UVU has a motto, “Come as you are” and the motto of the club's office is “There is a place for you” These two mottos rang absolutely true during Club Rush on September 14 and September 15, 2022. Foreign Affairs is anything that deals between two different countries: Business, sustainable development, politics, etc. We are a part of a coalition of student clubs, called Utah International Mountain Forum (UIMF), with the goal to work together to make the world better, especially for those, like us in Utah, who live in the mountains. Mountain people are strong and resilient and our regions' are vital to the world in terms of clean water, climate change and growth. UIMF during the Club Rush was represented by Alitha Thompson, its President and members such as Ashlee Bayles and Rachel Welker; Rotaract club was represented by its President Tristin Smith and members such as Megan Beckham Strader, and Miriam Petit; and the Sustainable Mountain Development club was represented by its President Joshua Kooyman, his deputy Bayan Alghanmi, and members Emily Hall and Handen Torsak.
(L to R) Emily Hall and Alitha Thompson during the Club Rush
We all want our dream job and we all want to be able to afford our dreams. Foreign affairs under UIMF asks what your dream is. We know everyone, no matter your age or degree, has certain experiences. We then take those dreams and experiences then specialize our projects to them. It works for both of us. It helps our members get the experience they need to fill their portfolio, but it also makes our service projects and conferences better. I know nothing about web design or advertising, but I know people who do. I appoint business majors over logistics, psychology majors over research, digital media over advertisement and political science over policy. By combining our experiences and dreams together, our messages will reach globally and make a difference in the world.”
I truly believe this. No matter what age you are, whether you are a student, teacher, or doctoral candidate, we have a voice full of different experiences. These voices should be heard. If every voice is heard, if the world leaders could take all these different experiences and work with them, nothing would be impossible. Our world is more interconnected than we think. This message is my goal with Foreign Affairs this year. Non-traditional students, the youth, women, and the people in the mountain are incredibly strong and tend to be downplayed in the world arena.
Engaged learning means doing more than turning the pages of a textbook — it’s about getting hands-on experience to complement the theory and help you for the rest of your life. Our classes are filled with dynamic labs, traveling excursions, research studies, and more. Beyond the classroom, there are plenty of ways to get involved on campus.
Due to this coalition of clubs, UIMF, SMD, Rotaract, and Foreign Affairs we were able to acquire funds from Utah Valley University clubs to attend the sixty-seventh session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67) will take place from 6 to 17 March 2023. Representatives of Member States, UN entities, and ECOSOC-accredited non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from all regions of the world are invited to contribute to the session including the UVU club UIMF.
In addition to promotional materials for the Foreign Affairs club, we shared information in collaboration with the UVU Office for Global Engagement on the upcoming CSW67. Foreign Affairs club participation in Club Rush was hugely successful. We created relationships with other organizations at UVU, and the coalition collectively received over 100 interested individuals and provided contact information.
Stephan M. Atkinson, President Foreign Affairs club; Vice President of UIMF; Lead by Stephan M. Atkinson (Child)
Link to U.N. C.S.W. # 67; https://www.unwomen.org/en/csw/csw67-2023
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STUDENT REFLECTIVE ESSAYS
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22-09-14-Joshua Kooyman Attending Club Rush Fall 2022 at Utah Valley University
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