AP Human Geography students discussed world issues as part of an International Relations conference Nov. 17 at Whittier College. The conference was a continuation of an ongoing simulation that the class had been working on since October.

Five different schools participated in the conference, representing India, Russia, Japan, China and the European Union, with Whittier College students moderating as the United States. The school’s delegation represented India and Russia.  At the conference, participants analyzed and debated different issues in human rights, trade and the environment.

The conference was the first face-to-face meeting between the schools, after several online stimulatory conferences conducted via live messaging. The experience gave students hands on experience in understanding how international diplomacy works, and helped students realize the difficulties of foreign discourse, Abraham Gallardo ’20 said.

“This conference gave me a further understanding of what goes on in the international discourse, and the difficulties there are to achieve compromise,” Gallardo said. “Everyone there had their own interests and agenda.  I am certain [the conference] helped attract and educate the future leaders of our world to make progress for the good of society.”

Overall, the conference helped students connect with peers who shared their interest in International Relations, Sydney Pizer ’19 said.

“As the Russian representative delegate on the issue of human rights, I was very pleased with our progress at the conference,” Pizer ’19 said.  “We negotiated all that we sought to achieve and collaborated with some wonderful and hardworking students. We learned a lot about communication and compromise, especially with people from very different viewpoints, which I think is essential for our future success in the field of international relations.”