Student delegates earn recognition at Model Arab League

April 22, 2025 (Volume 48, Number 16)
Article by Annie Pettit

The Grand Valley Model Arab League delegation is pictured with (third from left in back row) H. Delano Roosevelt, president and CEO of the National Council on US-Arab Relations. Chad Lingwood, professor of history, is in the back row, far right.

For 28 consecutive years, Grand Valley has hosted the Michigan Model Arab League competition and student delegates from colleges across the state. At the February event at the Eberhard Center, the GVSU group earned several awards and went on to participate in the national conference at George Mason University in Washington, D.C., in early April, earning one award.

Students who participate in Model Arab League gain valuable knowledge about civic and public affairs by simulating meetings of the League of Arab States. At Grand Valley, students from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences participate in the event, according to Chad Lingwood, professor of history.

Students interested in Model Arab League can take one of Lingwood's courses, offered through Middle East Studies, "Contemporary Issues in the Middle East: The Model Arab League." Lingwood said students in this course are "open to learning and bring positive attitudes as diplomats."

“I get a lot of joy in seeing how students, some of whom did not have a lot of prior knowledge of the Middle East and the politics of Arab states, become experts in topics affecting not only the Middle East, but many other parts of the world, too,” Lingwood said. “It takes a lot of nerve and confidence to do this. I enjoy seeing students represent their states and doing it so effectively.”

Grace Loftus, a fourth-year political science major, represented Libya at both Model Arab League events. As a result of her diplomatic work, she won the Outstanding Delegate award during the Michigan Model Arab League event and the Distinguished Delegate Award at the national championship. Participating in Model Arab League has helped prepare Loftus for her future goals in law school and beyond.

Loftus said: “I want to focus on diplomacy in international law and working with organizations like the United Nations. Being a part of Model Arab League has provided me the opportunity to meet diplomats, to go to embassies, and to work with international policymakers directly, which is precisely what I want to be doing in my career.”