GW competed in the Schuman Challenge at the European Union mission and came in second place out of 22 competing schools. The team featured Anisha Sahni (senior, double major in political science with a public policy focus and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies; Master of Public Policy), Rushabh Patel (junior, international affairs and political science major) and Kenzo Murray (senior, international affairs major), coached by Christopher Kojm, the director of the Elliott School’s Leadership, Ethics and Practice Initiative.
The competition, which took place April 7 and 8, annually invites teams of three to four undergraduate students to respond to a topic impacting transatlantic relations and present before a panel of judges. It is a two-round competition, and teams from across the U.S. deliver 10-minute presentations on a pressing foreign topic issue. This year, the topic was “How should the EU and U.S. cooperate in Afghanistan following the U.S. military withdrawal?” The students prepared and delivered a 10-minute presentation and answered questions from a panel of judges including the EU Ambassador in Washington. Below is a Q&A with Murray and Sahni.
Q: How much preparation went into the Schuman Challenge? When did you learn of your topic?
Murray: A significant amount of preparation went into the Schuman Challenge. We first began discussing the topic in January after returning from winter break. Understanding the on-the-ground situation in Afghanistan has been difficult since the U.S. military withdrawal. NGOs in Afghanistan do not publish information about their activities so that they can protect their personnel and the people they are helping. We really got to work after spring break, meeting usually twice a week for a few hours to revise our proposal and do more research.
Sahni: The Schuman Challenge involved extensive preparation. To discuss Afghanistan requires a deep level of understanding regarding the history of imperialism and conflict and the diversity of Afghan communities. I learned a great deal about these issues as well as the theoretical foundations of how to address broader issues of humanitarian crisis, economic collapse, and human rights.
Q: How did your group answer the question presented?
Sahni: Our group came up with a two-pronged policy approach to address the question. We first addressed the immediate humanitarian crisis facing Afghan civilians by advocating for an aid distribution model that centers local actors and creates oversight of the aid distribution process. Our second policy was designed to address the broader financial crisis in Afghanistan through the privatization of central bank functions to aid in economic development. This part of our proposal is based on the advocacy of Alex Zerden.
Q: What was the team dynamic like?
Murray: Working with Anisha and Rush was a fun experience. Anisha was best able to speak to the conditions for women and on human rights, Rush talked about the economic tools we could use to get money into Afghanistan, and I thought about the overarching picture. We are all very busy so there were many late nights and early mornings doing research, FaceTiming to run ideas one another, and practice runs. I’d like to add that our faculty advisor Christopher Kojm in the Elliott School was a tremendous help, and we could not have been successful without his mentorship. We had multiple practice sessions with Professor Kojm where we rehearsed the presentation, engaged in Q&A, and got valuable feedback on our content and presentation style. In addition, our teammates Yaseen Shah (sophomore), Sean O’Neil (2021 grad), and Hailey Knowles (2021 grad), and coach Paul Hayes also helped us rehearse the presentation and gave constructive feedback on our proposal. They, too, were integral in our success at the Schuman Challenge.
Q: How will the experience of delivering a nuanced presentation in front of judges, including the EU ambassador in Washington, prepare you for your future?
Murray: The experience of presenting before leading scholars, policy practitioners, and the Ambassador to the European Union gave me confidence in my public speaking abilities and will serve to remind me what policy makers and foreign policy experts are looking for: succinct answers that get to the point. I will remember how my teammates and I handled the presentation and Q&A in future situations where I have to present before someone or a group of people.
Sahni: This process was an absolute honor to be a part of, and I learned so much from the esteemed judges who took the time to listen to our presentation. I learned from this process the importance of providing direct and straightforward policy proposals that are well-organized when presenting in front of stakeholders on important issues.