What Happens Here Matters
Student Accepted to UN Youth Assembly
Manhattanville senior Francesca DiPietro has recently been accepted to attend the United Nations 5th Annual Youth Assembly Conference at UN headquarters in New York City from August 12th to the 14th. In addition to attending seminars and lectures by guest speakers, Francesca will have the opportunity to network with a select group of global youth leaders.
*The Assembly is aimed at inspiring young people to make a difference in U.N. renewal by providing the opportunity to learn about and get involved with programs aimed at achieving the Millennium Development Goals. It is part of a larger effort to bring success to U.N. initiatives by engaging young people to learn practical information that will help them achieve the MDG’s, network with actual NGO’s formally affiliated with the U.N., and gain practical entrepreneurial skills in support of the ‘better world’ goals that we all share.
“I was always interested in world affairs and the Millennium Goals, which I touched upon in an Anthropology of Human Rights course I took at Manhattanville,” Francesca said. “I wanted to get involved, but I always thought that you had to be older since the UN typically looks for Graduate students for internships. I found this posting outside the Career Center and I applied, thinking I would never get in. Two weeks later I was accepted and I am so excited to contribute an Undergraduate perspective and to have the opportunity to meet world leaders, students like myself, and to represent Manhattanville and its dedication to social justice and action.”
When she returns from the UN assembly, Francesca will be preparing to leave for a Study Abroad program to Brussels, Belgium for four months at the end of August. She was recently awarded the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Institute of International Education (IIE), which will help defray the costs of her trip.
“I am excited about Belgium because I have never been abroad and I am looking forward to meeting new people, and learning in a different environment,” she said. “I will also be taking a closer look at the European Union and may have an opportunity to work at the EU Parliament. As an Economics major, I think it will be beneficial to have this comparison of cultures and business practices between the countries. I am grateful for this opportunity and I am looking forward to traveling!”
* Excerpted from the Acceptance Notice by the UN Youth Assembly Staff