Converse Students VIP Guests at 75th NATO Summit
Two Converse students were VIP guests at the 75th Anniversary of the founding of NATO, held in June in Washington, DC. Although Summit conferences meet in a different NATO country annually, this celebration was a grand event with an expanded agenda and worldwide coverage. With the war in Ukraine and America’s commitment to NATO an issue in the Presidential campaign, this was an especially important meeting.
Jerome Harris ’25, a senior from Alexandra, VA. and Maddy Skoog ’25 (Nisbet Honors), a senior from Traveler’s Rest, were selected guests invited to attend the debates and sessions of the NATO conference. It was a distinct honor for the two undergrads to be chosen for this opportunity. Most of the attendees were professionals already in the field or graduate students in foreign affairs and national security from the top universities in the U.S. and abroad.
Jerome and Maddy were representatives of the International Model NATO program. Their credentials included being award-winning debaters, and both have served as committee chairs at the Model. Jerome is a co-head delegate of this year’s Converse Model Programs team, the first male to serve in this role. Maddy was an intern with the National Council on U.S-Arab Relations during the summer.
“The NATO 2024 Summit was an extremely beneficial event to attend not only for the information presented but also for the contacts and networking.”
Maddy Skoog ’25
Maddy described the experience “The NATO 2024 Summit was an extremely beneficial event to attend not only for the information presented but also for the contacts and networking. The NATO Summit provided me with an experience very few will get to have.”
Jerome added, “This was a lifetime opportunity. Watching in person powerful world leaders debating crucial global issues, such as the defense of the Eastern provinces of Ukraine, was eye-opening. We were privileged to witness how international diplomacy functions on events vital to international security. For me, the experience was transformative.”
Converse is the recognized power in International Model NATO having won the Outstanding Delegation in all 20 years of participation in the competition. Converse also serves as the permanent Secretariat of the Model that runs the model annually in February in DC, and Dr. Joe Dunn is the managing director of the event. Senior Pashion Israel will serve as this year’s Secretary General.
“Converse begins preparation for the Model each year in September with the competitive selection of new members for the delegation.”
Converse begins preparation for the Model each year in September with the competitive selection of new members for the delegation. The team practices every Sunday evening through the competition. Prior to the Model, the delegations visit the embassies of the countries that they represent that year. This year Converse will represent Lithuania and Portugal. Over the years, Converse has represented all 32 NATO countries except for the two latest members, Sweden and Finland, who joined in 2024. Besides the embassy visits, high ranking NATO officials also speak at the Model’s opening ceremonies.
The skills and experience in both International Model NATO and Model Arab League have served Converse students well as many graduates have proceeded to graduate study in international affairs and national security and several hold U.S. government jobs in the field, including at the highest level such as career State Department officials Chelsey Addis Jones (‘04), the Political Officer at the U.S. Embassy in the country of Georgia, and Chelsea Jaccard Kaufman (’03), USAID Program Management and Analysis officer in the U.S. embassy in Mozambique, Africa; or Valerie Brock Naglich (’03) Program Chief with the Center for Disease Control-Global for southern Africa.