Mr. Samuel Elzinga spoke virtually to Utah Valley University students in the United Nations Sustainable Development course on Wednesday, March 27, 2024, at 12:00 pm.
Samuel Elzinga is a former Utah International Mountain Forum (UIMF) President, who got involved in UIMF six years ago when he was a student at Utah Valley University and was looking for extra credit opportunities. As he continued his participation, he became Interested in the mission and activities that he could take part in as a member of the organization.
Samuel Elzinga speaks to UVU students
Mr. Elzinga shared some of his experiences with the Utah International Mountain Forum, and student engaged learning model (SEL) and how these experiences continue to augment his career to this day. The student engaged learning model is student-led learning, allowing students to solve real-world problems with mentorship from faculty.
As a participant in UIMF, he was granted several opportunities that he remarks has had a significant impact on his career to this day. He presented to Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), and through Russian Academy of Sciences (a connection he made through his participation in UIMF), he was granted the opportunity to speak during a UN general debate and advocated for both student-engaged learning and the importance of the Sustainable Development Goals. Dr. Richard Jordan recommended to get the statement immortalized by working with the House of Representatives and getting the statements read into Congressional record.
Samuel Elzinga with peers speaks at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum on July 19, 2018
Samuel Elzinga became President of UIMF in the Fall of 2018. As President, he wanted to continue to stress the importance of student advocacy for mountain communities. In 2019 he published many statements for CSW. In addition to his international advocacy, he worked with Orem Rotary to collect and donate coats to the president of Westmore Elementary School in Orem to uplift local communities.
In December 2019, he was invited by the Kyrgyz mission to present at International Mountain Day at the United Nations and was asked to speak about the importance of youth involvement.
These experiences opened new opportunities as he was able to intern for Congresswoman Debbie Lesko. He was also invited to intern at the Department of State in Washington D.C. where he spoke on international affairs and defense issues.
Samuel Elzinga speaks to UVU students
Mr. Elzinga shared his main takeaways from his time in the UIMF, detailing how it was one of the most impactful experiences he had in college. It taught him about the difference between front of house (public meetings, meeting with diplomats) and back of house (getting things prepared; write ups, data) diplomacy.
Samuel Elzinga was UVU’s first Truman Scholar finalist in over 30 years. He was able to use his experiences in UIMF for his policy proposal. A core component of his application was directly related to helping women and girls in mountainous Central Asia find microloan programs to start sustainable businesses. He was also awarded the Atlas Award at UVU for his work with UIMF. Drawing on his experiences advocating for Sustainable Mountain Development with UIMF, he was able to build the framework for his senior thesis. He primarily focused on security issues, and discussed how conflict and peace in the mountains are a huge component to SMD.
Today Mr. Elzinga is looking at graduate school programs and is likely to transfer out of state this fall, where he will be focusing on studying applied statistics. He is a Data Analyst at Domani Preneed as well as a Data Manager for Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs where he is working on mountain issues and data collection. He runs a consulting firm focused on economic development in rural areas and is looking at expanding into other mountainous regions. He is using the Student Engaged Learning model in his development plan.
It was an honor to be able to learn from an accomplished mentor and see his passion for the UIMF and SEL. It has helped me in my academic pursuits as I seek to be more engaged and involved in my learning and strive to take control of my education. I have been able to see the firsthand benefits of this model and am excited to continue seeing the way that it will benefit me throughout my life.
Stefanie Camara Manoel, UVU student
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Samuel Elzinga - Former UIMF President (youtube.com)
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PowerPoint of the Presentation
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STUDENT REFLECTIVE ESSAYS
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