UIUC Team Wins Third Place in Midwest Model EU Competition

The University of Illinois team won the third place award at the Midwest Model EU at Indiana University representing Greece this weekend. Illinois students also received several individual awards: Maha Kalota (Political Science, English) won the first prize for her work in the Environment Council, Angitha Bright (Political Science, Brain and Cognitive Science, Philosophy, Computer Science) the second prize in the Foreign Affairs Council, and Dennis Austin (Political Science) the third prize as Prime Minister in the European Council. Chieh Hsu (Physics, Global Studies), Nathaniel O’Halloran (Political Science, History), and Paula Suarez de Cepeda Garcia (International Relations and Foreign Affairs) also performed exceptionally well in the roles of European Commissioner, Economic and Finance Minister, and Justice and Home Affairs Minister. Model European Union is a simulation of several EU institutions in which close to 30 universities from across the US participate. It is organized by the Institute for European Studies at Indiana University. Professor Kostas Kourtikakis (Political Science) selected and mentored the Illinois team. The European Union Center provided financial support.

In the students' words:

"I was grateful to attend the Model EU tournament this year with Professor Kourtikakis and spend time with my team, students from other universities, and our guest speakers. Model EU is an excellent way to simulate the government system in the European Union and learn more about diplomacy." — Maha Kalota (Political Science and English, expected 2023)

"I’m very glad to have participated in the MMEU. As an engineering physics major, it’s easy to feel detached from politics of the world, and participating in the MMEU is a perfect remedy to that. There, I had a great experience and met great people from across the country." — Chieh Hsu (Global Studies and Physics, expected 2024)



Photo credit: Kostas Kourtikakis


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