Three students take part in model NATO competition
Surrey politics students Will Hitt, Alisha Khan and Mustafa Hassan represented Czechia at the recent Model NATO competition run by the British International Studies Association (BISA) in partnership with the Foreign, Development and Commonwealth Office, with Will Hitt winning the Distinguished Delegate of the North Atlantic Council.
Politics undergraduate, Will Hitt, won the Distinguished Delegate of the North Atlantic Council at the recent Model NATO competition run by the British International Studies Association (BISA) in partnership with the Foreign, Development and Commonwealth Office.
Thirty universities from across the UK took part in this annual flagship student event. Each team represents a NATO member-state plus candidate countries, Finland and Sweden.
The country teams are comprised of three students and each delegate sits on one committee (the North Atlantic Council, NATO Military Committee, and the Civil Emergency Planning Committee).
There are two awards per committee (for Outstanding Delegate and Distinguished Delegate) and two awards given for the Outstanding Overall Delegation and Distinguished Overall Delegation. Will said:
“Participating in BISA’s Model NATO has been a significant highlight of my undergraduate studies. It provided me with an opportunity to navigate a challenging scenario, learn about NATO and my designated state, develop skills in negotiation and public speaking, and provided an opportunity to meet lots of fantastic minds from other participating universities.
It took me the first half of the day to really find my feet, but I soon led the charge and collaborated with my counterpart delegates to draft proposals and reach consensus….
I am so proud to have represented the University of Surrey, and to have worked with my exceptional teammates, Alisha and Mustafa. I wholeheartedly recommend taking part in BISA’s Model NATO whenever the chance arises.”
Dr Laura Chappell, who accompanied the Surrey team, added that ‘Model NATO provides students with a fantastic opportunity to gain a substantive insight into crisis decision-making. Mustafa, Alisha and Will rose to the challenge of representing Czechia (and the Department of Politics) and performed exceptionally well’.
