Date: Wednesday, April 26, 2017
Two eleventh graders from the International School of Choueifat – Choueifat (ISC-Choueifat) in Lebanon were selected from a pool of 65 finalists to represent the Lebanese American University (LAU) at the Model Arab League (MAL). Aima Basha and Riwa Snih joined four other delegates from Lebanon at the National MAL Conference, which was held at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. in April 2017.
The Model Arab League (MAL) program is a multi-regional model competition in which high school and university students from around the world compete as representatives from Member States of the Arab League. MAL is similar to Model United Nations (MUN) but focuses on Middle Eastern affairs, issues, and politics, whereas MUN adopts a more global approach to world politics.
This year, 1,200 participants from 90 schools across Lebanon participated in the regional Model Arab League program. The ISC-Choueifat delegation, made up of seven students, performed outstandingly at the mock MAL conference, with four of the students selected to participate in a mock conference with 61 other participants to determine who would be traveling to Washington D.C. In the end, 11 participants were selected for an interview with the Secretary General of MAL, three of whom were ISC-Choueifat students.
“MAL has given me the opportunity to discover my passion for speaking publicly and changing people’s thoughts by using my voice and my words. As a result, I have become more confident and determined to reach my goals,” says Aima, “and without my advisors, I wouldn’t be where I am now. Their guidance, motivation, and belief in me is what helped me reach this point.”
At the conference in Georgetown University, Aima and Riwa continued to shine and won additional awards for their efforts at the competitions. Riwa brought back the Best Delegate Award and Aima the Diplomacy Award.
“I am so proud of every delegate who participated with such commitment and passion,” says Rima Saab, MAL Advisor at ISC-Choueifat, “This is a first-class program that provides our students with an incredible learning experience in self-management, responsibility, public speaking, and more.”
SABIS® is very proud of both participants, and all the ISC-Choueifat students who participated and put forth their best efforts in representing their school and Lebanon abroad.
For more information about ISC-Choueifat, visit iscchoueifat-sabis.net.