Texas State University repeated its successful representation at the Student Conference on National Affairs (SCONA) at Texas A&M University last month. The student delegation comprised John Flores, Christine Gian, and IdaraObong E. Ben-Edet. For three days, they networked with political and military officials and students from other campuses. Participants join assigned groups to discuss and craft policy proposals to address today’s top global and national issues. Under the guidance of seasoned experts and policy makers, students have free reign to craft their proposals within a narrow timeframe. The process pushes students to think quickly and creatively. “I lost count of how many cups of coffee I drank in order to figure how to write a policy proposal,” Gian observed. A panel of experts then evaluates the proposals.
Gian’s group researched refugee crises in Europe, a topic that drew on her personal experiences: “I didn’t realize my personal stories growing up with refugees, and my dad being a refugee helped the framework of the policy proposal.” Flores and his group placed second runner-up for best policy proposal. It tackled the North Korean Nuclear Threat after adopting his framework. “It was a great experience,” Flores noted, “I learned so much.” Ben-Edet’s group covered intelligence sharing among governments and won the award for best policy proposal.
Attendees heard from Dr. Joseph Han, who defected from North Korea in 1999. Flores remarked, “His journey from North Korean physicist to professor of nuclear physics at Texas A&M was compelling.” Other speakers included Mr. Kim Hyung-gil, Consul General of South Korea, Congressman Louie Gohmert, and General Frank Grass.
SCONA seeks to bring together a wide range of perspectives on issues of national importance. According to Gian, participants hear a common refrain from conference organizers: “The key to SCONA is diversity of thought.”
