University of Arkansas at Little Rock students were honored for their skills in international diplomacy.

UA Little Rock student diplomats competed in the National University Model Arab League Conference March 23-27 in Washington, D.C., where they represented the country of Iraq.

The Model Arab League is a student leadership development program created by the National Council on US-Arab Relations. It is a simulation of an international organization, the League of Arab States, which has 22 member countries.

UA Little Rock students Lamar Townsend and Caleb Simms won the Outstanding Delegation Award for representing Iraq on the Economic Affairs Council. This represents the highest award for the committee as well as the highest award UA Little Rock students have ever won at the national conference.

Additional award winners include Chloe McGehee and Owen Haynes, who won the Distinguished Advocate Award for serving on the Arab Court of Justice. Owen also received the Distinguished Justice Award.

“After not being able to attend the national conference for two years because of COVID, it was really wonderful to take such a great team to D.C.,” said Dr. Rebecca Glazier, associate professor in the School of Public Affairs and faculty advisor to the UA Little Rock Model Arab League. “None of the students on our team had competed at the national level before, so I am especially impressed with how great they did. We were also able to meet with the staff of the Iraqi embassy. It was a fantastic trip, all around.”

The UA Little Rock Model Arab League participation is supported by the Middle Eastern Studies program, which subsidizes the student travel and conference participation costs.