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Model United Nations, a student organization that provides opportunities to get involved in world politics and foreign affairs outside the classroom, recently sent eight of its members to the Brown University Crisis Simulation.

During the simulation, attendees engaged with scenarios and crises as they participated in committees that sought to solve past, present and future international problems. Many of the historical issues have had an impact on the world as we know it, while other scenarios may have emerging implications for diplomacy in the near future.

This is the second time that Model UN has participated in the Brown simulation, and the delegation was the largest since the club’s inception, made possible by a core group of active participants and growing club membership.

In addition to the Brown simulations, Model UN has also attended two Security Council Simulations at Yale University. “Salve’s delegations have continued to thrive and have garnered a reputation for diplomatic tact and professionalism among a wide array of other universities, colleges and institutions,” said Model UN member Ryan Ciocco, who served as head delegate to the Brown simulation.

In addition to Ciocco, the delegates were Sarah Christiana, Caroline Rogers, Milly Popa, Claire Horvath, Chase Mulvaney, Santiago Durango and Timothy Jaeger.

• Christiana and Horvath dealt with issues of Italian reunification in the 1800s and sought to balance the political ambitions of the emerging Italian nation-state and Napoleonic France.
• Rogers engaged with the direction of post-colonial India in the context of waning British influence during the 1940s.
• Popa and Mulvaney represented Austria and Colombia in the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute, which involved debate surrounding cultural factors that have had an impact on the legitimacy of the International Criminal Court.
• Ciocco participated in the Algeciras Conference, which reimagined the conflict over Moroccan sovereignty between France and Germany in the early 1900s.
• Durango represented Denmark in the Arctic Council, dealing with issues of militarism, natural resources, indigenous populations and climate change.
• Jaeger was involved in articulating the need for Lithuania to declare independence from the Soviet Union in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

“This conference provided an array of networking opportunities along with the chance for professional development, as the diplomatic skills learned in crisis committees have many applications for the real world,” Ciocco said.

Participation was made possible by the Department of Political Science and International Relations under the guidance of Dr. Clark Merrill.

Editor’s note: The ninth annual SRyou Student Exposition, an all-day event featuring the work of Salve students, will be held Wednesday, March 21. In the weeks leading up to the exposition, SALVEtoday and the SRyou planning committee are featuring a series of presenter spotlights.

Music and political science major Bryce Sholtes ’20 and English literature and political science major Henry Nickerson ’20 will perform with their band Bodies of Water as part of the Department of Music, Theatre and Dance’s musical showcase. An alternative rock band, Bodies of Water features Sholtes on lead guitar and Nickerson on rhythm guitar and vocals.

The SRyou musical showcase will be held from 10:30-11:30 a.m. in Angelus Hall. Additional performers will include Richard Tegtmeier ’19 and Benjamin Conover ’19, Madeline Key ’19 and Kelly Runda ’19, Elizabeth Getts ’18, the Madrigals Chorus and the a cappella groups Pitches With Attitude and Mixtapes.

Toyosi Akanji ’19, a first-generation Nigerian-American student from Cranston, Rhode Island, has been honored as a 2018 Newman Civic Fellow by Campus Compact, the Boston-based nonprofit organization supporting civic engagement on college campuses throughout the country.

As a fellowship recipient, Akanji will participate in a variety of learning and networking opportunities, including attending the national conference of Newman Civic Fellows in partnership with the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate. The fellowship also provides fellows with access to apply for exclusive scholarship and post-graduate opportunities.

A chemistry major at Salve, Akanji is an AIM Scholar and a Nuala Pell Fellow who focuses her service efforts on racial equity, educational access and health equity.

“Toyosi is a motivated and respected campus leader who works with student organizations such as the Multicultural Student Organization, the Black Student Union, and in our Student Government to help advocate for social justice and democratic participation,” said President Jane Gerety, RSM.

At Salve, Akanji helped spearhead the creation of the Black Student Union and now serves as president of the organization. She works to raise awareness to issues such as poverty on campus, college access and general awareness of the causes and consequences of racial inequities in the local community.

“I care about social justice issues because I care about people, about the world, and make a conscious effort to make a positive impact,” Akanji said. “I realized that I can make an impact in my community by serving it and using my God-given talents to help those in need.”

An advocate for marginalized people, Akanji has focused specifically on impoverished women and children of color through her community service work in low-income housing and through a mission trip to Haiti.

“Those experiences made me realize that I don’t have to be exceptional or really special to make an impact,” she said. “I realized that there was a problem with the distribution of wealth, and how many people are denied basic human rights like quality health care and quality education simply because they cannot afford to break the cycle of poverty in their family. I believe the best strategies for advocating for marginalized groups is to use my privilege to speak up for them and against the problems that plague our communities. I can use my voice to talk to people and inspire them to work for the people rather than themselves.”

The Office of Advancement invites female undergraduates to apply for the Vision of Mercy Scholarship, which provides funding to students who are committed to the materially poor, to peace and justice, and to working with advocacy groups in keeping with the critical concerns of the Religious Sisters of Mercy.

Ideal recipients will approach the materially poor and the underserved in the tradition of Catherine McAuley, founder of the Sisters of Mercy. Applicants should be devoted to advancing the human condition of individuals and communities, especially those who are impoverished, disadvantaged or downtrodden.

Award criteria:

• Must demonstrate a commitment to the materially poor, to peace and justice and to working with advocacy groups in keeping with the critical concerns of the Religious Sisters of Mercy (immigration, Earth, racism, nonviolence and women).
• Must be a female undergraduate student, in good academic standing, enrolled for the 2018-2019 academic year.
• Must submit two letters from individuals (one an academic source) that will verify and support the applicant’s intent.
• Must submit an essay (maximum 1,500 words) by March 28. The essay should address the student’s commitment to individuals and/or populations impacted by one of the critical concerns.

Scholarship recipients will be selected by the Vision of Mercy Endowed Scholarship committee based on the criteria described above, with special emphasis placed on the content and quality of the essay, as well as the strength of the two letters of support.

For more information, or to apply for the Vision of Mercy Scholarship, visit salve.edu/scholarships.