Model Arab League (MAL) is a diplomacy and policy simulation where students take on the roles of diplomats representing different Arab League countries. They engage in debates, draft resolutions, and collaborate on solutions to real-world issues affecting the Middle East.

The 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock students who competed include Vivian Angeles, Carlee Felty, Abigail Gavina, Owen Haynes, Bex Little, Yuliana Murillo, Larry Rhodes, Endalynn Seals, Jack Stokes, Axton Tackett, Kie’Erian Carter, and Jace Owens.

鈥淚 had four students who competed in their first MAL conference ever and won awards,鈥� said Dr. Rebecca Glazier, a professor of political science and MAL faculty advisor. 鈥淢y amazing students are thoughtful, hard-working, well-spoken, and I am so grateful to be their professor. This conference is a great opportunity for our students to get out of the classroom and learn international politics by doing.鈥�

Jack Stokes, a graduate student at the Clinton School of Public Service, served as chair of the Joint Defense Council at the conference and received the Outstanding Chair Award.

鈥淪ERMAL has been a part of my life for four years! It is always incredible because it combines both high school and collegiate levels, and it鈥檚 impressive to see the different groups compete,鈥� Stokes said. 鈥淢odel Arab League provides a rich experience for anyone seeking to learn about the Middle East and its vast cultures and politics. It also provides incredible networking opportunities.鈥�

Vivian Angeles, a senior double majoring in criminal justice and English, competed in the Joint Defense Council representing Somalia. Angeles was elected vice chair of the committee and won an Honorable Mention Award.

鈥淚nitially, I was very nervous. Although I felt prepared, I was still anxious to debate with people that I knew had more experience than me,鈥� Angeles said. 鈥淥nce I was there, I realized there was no reason to be nervous. Everyone was incredibly friendly, and the debate itself went very smoothly.鈥�

Carlee Felty, a political science major from Beebe, Arkansas, also earned an Honorable Mention Award in her first-ever MAL competition.

鈥淢y experience at SERMAL was truly amazing,鈥� Felty said. 鈥淎t first, Model Arab League intimidated me because I had never taken a single debate class and wasn鈥檛 very educated on the Middle East. However, I have learned so much from my peers and have grown as a debater. Not only are you able to grow personally, culturally, and politically, but you are able to build such a beautiful community within the Model Arab League.鈥�

Additional students who won awards include Kie’Erian Carter (Distinguished Delegation, Environmental Committee), Jace Owens (Distinguished Delegation, Environmental Committee), and Endalynn Seals (Honorable Mention, Political Committee).

The 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock students will next compete at the National Model Arab League Conference in Washington, D.C., from April 2-6.

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Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I was raised in Jacksonville, Arkansas, and graduated from Cabot High School. During high school, I enjoyed keeping up with politics. My goal is to become a foreign service officer.

Why did you choose 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock?

I chose 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock because it is a large enough school, but small enough where you are not just a number. For instance, my friends and I often hang out at Starbucks and the library.

Why did you choose to major in Political Science?

Initially, I was going to major in theatre, but I took an AP government class in high school that ignited my interest in politics. A year earlier, we traveled to Italy and Greece where I fell in love with traveling. Political science has combined my passions for government, politics, and hopefully travel!

You interned at the Iraqi embassy and helped prep diplomats. Tell us about that experience.

During Summer 2022, I worked with Iraqi diplomats on congressional affairs in the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. Members of this committee include Senators Robert Menendez, Mitt Romney, Tim Kaine, and Ted Cruz. This experience gives me hope because policymakers work better together behind the scenes than how they are portrayed in the media. I also got to learn about policy from an Iraqi perspective.

Your goal is to become a foreign service officer. What does a foreign service officer do? 

Foreign service officers serve the diplomatic needs of the United States in embassies worldwide. There are five career tracks: Consular, Economics, Management, Political, and Public Diplomacy. I would love to be stationed in Scandinavia or Brussels, Belgium, since it is the headquarters for the European Union.

Who were some of your mentors?

Dr. Rebecca Glazier encouraged me to join the Model Arab League, which gives students insight into the Middle East and Arab world. Drs. Jessica Scott and Simon Hawkins helped me with life planning. Dr. Stephanie Davis helped me with graduate school applications.

What are your favorite memories?

The pancake breakfast was great because we played games at the table while we ate. We had a lot of fun and laughs.

One of my favorite experiences was participating in the study abroad program in Prague, Czechoslovakia. I interned at a non-profit organization called Act for Others. This organization promotes charitable activities that enable the disabled to integrate into society. Part of this internship included helping plan a small Christmas market with local vendors and entertainment.

Where are you going to graduate school?

I am entering the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University in New York. The Maxwell School is one of the nation鈥檚 top-ranked schools for public affairs. A former Donaghey Scholar and current foreign service officer helped me research graduate schools.

What advice would you give incoming students?

Do your work and attend class. Do something out of your comfort zone and make connections. Because of my connections, I participated in the Model Arab League and interned at the Iraqi embassy!

This profile was compiled by Toni Boyer.

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McGehee has known she wanted to be a journalist since middle school, where she was editor of the Bryant Junior High yearbook. When she transitioned into high school, she remained on the yearbook staff and became editor of the award-winning Bryant High School yearbook staff her senior year.

When it came time for her to choose a college, 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock was an easy decision. Her mother and maternal grandparents graduated from the university, making her a legacy student. She was also accepted into the Donaghey Scholars Honors Program, which was another incentive hinting that 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock was where she needed to be. As such, she attributes a lot of her success to Dr. Simon Hawkins and Dr. Jessica Scott, director and assistant director of the honors program.

鈥淚 knew I would need scholarships to attend college, and they made it possible for me to go to school debt-free, which was something I never thought would happen,鈥� McGehee said. 鈥淚 was able to give my all to school, and if not for Donaghey, I probably wouldn鈥檛 have been able to be so involved on campus.鈥�

She was on the Donaghey Committee her senior year, which involves planning events for the program and interviewing potential new scholars.

鈥淚 just wanted to make an impact on the program the same way it did for me,鈥� McGehee said.

The program requires its scholars to study abroad, so she had the opportunity to travel to Amsterdam from August to December as well.

鈥淚t was life changing,鈥� McGehee said. 鈥淓verything that I wanted it to be, it was. It altered my view on politics and life, it made me more independent, and completely changed my outlook on life.鈥�

She has done a lot in her time at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, but the accolade she鈥檚 most proud of is being executive editor of The Forum. She became editor her sophomore year, making her the youngest in the newspaper鈥檚 history, and was also named Newspaper Editor of the Year at the 2023 Arkansas College Media Association award competition.

鈥淚鈥檝e never known anybody as energetic as Chloe,鈥� Sonny Rhodes, advisor of The Forum, said. 鈥淚鈥檝e known some great editors in my 23 years of advising The Forum. I wouldn鈥檛 want to embarrass anybody by saying she鈥檚 the best, but she鈥檚 certainly one of the best. I鈥檝e never known someone who can do so many things quite so well.鈥�

McGehee met Rhodes when she joined the newspaper staff as a freshman, and thinks just as highly of him as he does of her.

鈥淗e鈥檚 been such a positive influence on my life and he鈥檚 probably my biggest supporter,鈥� McGehee said. 鈥淚 feel like I can go to him with anything and he鈥檒l help me with it. He鈥檚 written countless letters of recommendation for me, and he鈥檚 really become a friend. I鈥檓 really thankful for him.鈥�

McGehee serves as communications director for the Student Government Association, in which she has grown the and made it a 鈥渙ne-stop shop鈥� for things going on around campus.

McGeehee has also done Model Arab League since 2021, which is a multi-regional competition where high school and college students come together to cover topics and write resolutions to issues important to the Arab League. During that time, she and the rest of the team have traveled to Texas, Washington, D.C., and South Carolina. She has won awards at each of the five conferences she has attended.

鈥淚 say, if you like to argue diplomatically, the Model Arab League is where you should go,鈥� McGehee said. 鈥淵ou really have to know how to argue in a polite way. I鈥檝e won three national awards and awards at Houston and South Carolina. It really opened my eyes. It鈥檚 a different part of the world with an entirely different culture and lifestyle that I wouldn鈥檛 know anything about if not for the class.鈥�

She has tutored students at the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock writing center and completed several internships at Little Rock publications such as the Arkansas Business Publishing Group, the Venture Center, and the Daily Record, all of which have helped prepare her for a career in journalism.

鈥淟ittle Rock is my city,鈥� McGehee said. 鈥淚n five years, I hope to have made a positive impact on Little Rock and have a really robust writing and photography portfolio. I just want to grow in my career, my portfolio, and my personal life to be the best person I can be.鈥�

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糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock was awarded the Overall Outstanding Delegation Award for their representation of the country of Qatar.

鈥淲hen we arrived, we were told we would not have the numbers to win a school award,鈥� said Owen Haynes, a sophomore political science major from White Hall. 鈥淒espite this, and because of the outstanding performance of each of our six students, 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock won the highest award for a school at that conference. This means that we were all taking advantage of parliamentary procedure, writing resolution papers, creating diplomatic relationships, giving impromptu speeches, and for some of us holding leadership positions within our councils.鈥�

The Model Arab League is a student leadership development program created by the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations. It is a simulation of an international organization, the League of Arab States, which represents 22 countries.

Dr. Rebecca Glazier, faculty advisor for Model Arab League, said this was an amazing achievement for the students since only a small team of students competed, and they were two members short of a full delegation.

鈥淭hat is like winning a basketball game with only four people on the court,鈥� Glazier said. 鈥淚 am so proud of them!鈥�

糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock students who attended the competition and their committees and individual awards include:

• Owen Haynes, Summit of Arab Heads of State, Outstanding Delegation Award
• Chloe McGehee, Council of Arab Environmental Affairs Ministers, Outstanding Delegation Award
• Caleb Mimms, Council on Political Affairs, Outstanding Delegation Award
• Lamar Townsend, Council of Arab Economic Affairs Ministers, Outstanding Delegation Award
• Jack Schlotter, Joint Defense Council, Distinguished Delegation Award
• Yvonne Rodriguez, Council of Arab Social Affairs, Outstanding Delegation Award

Rodriquez, a junior from Hot Springs, said her council discussed important issues like mitigating water insecurity, especially regarding women and refugees, exploring minority populations鈥� access to education and social mobility, and the rising rates of internally displaced persons throughout the region.

鈥淢odel Arab League is a great place to hone skills like public speaking, collaborative team tasks, and writing,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a good place to refine those skills, and it鈥檚 an amazing place to meet other students around the country! I have truly enjoyed my time and have been honored to work with this team that has only strived for excellence.鈥�

Caleb Mimms, a junior political science and international studies major from Cabot, said that he loves Model Arab League because it gives him the opportunity to learn something new about a region that he previously did not know.

鈥淲e get to break down specific problems and how these problems affect current events within the region, and thus the world and our perception of it,鈥� Mimms said. 鈥淚 also get great practice for what I would like to do in the future, and that is diplomacy. I have a lot of passion for working with others to find solutions to some of the biggest problems our world faces. Finding solutions that help everyone is extremely important and something I get to practice in the Model Arab League.鈥�

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