Students from Hialeah-Miami Lakes Sr High to Represent South Florida in National Global Competition

MIAMI – April 26, 2022 – PRLog — The World Affairs Council of Miami announced that they held a local Academic WorldQuest competition on April 2, 2022 consisting of nine teams from various high schools in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties. The competition is a part of the World Affairs Councils of America flagship youth education program where high schools form teams to compete in their local community in a fun and fast paced competition testing their knowledge on current international affairs, politics, geography, global economics, history and world cultures. The winning local high school team then advances to the national Academic WorldQuest competition to compete with winning high school teams from all around the nation. This year’s Carlos and Malú Alvarez 2022 Academic WorldQuest National Competition will take place from April 29-30, 2022 and will be held at the United States Institute of Peace. The winning local team from Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High School, calling themselves “The Global Trojans,” will represent South Florida at the prestigious national competition. The program received sponsorship support from Miami-Dade County Commissioners, The Honorable Raquel Regalado (District 7) and The Honorable Eileen Higgins (District 5).

The team will be joined by their teacher, Ms. Rukayat Adebisi, Legal Studies Academy/Social Studies Academy and Model United Nations Faculty Advisor at Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High School. “My goal as a teacher is to motivate my students to be active and engaged global citizens and it truly warms my heart when I witness them doing just that.  I can’t thank the World Affairs Council enough for educational opportunities such as the Academic WorldQuest competition,” said Ms. Adebisi. On winning the local competition and advancing to the national competition, Senior at Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High School and Global Trojan team member Jason Murray Jr. says, “Participating in this competition was not only a learning experience which strengthened my previous understanding of the topics through the wide array of preparatory sources, but it was also a fun and engaging event with friends.”

The World Affairs Councils of America has coordinated a welcome reception for the national teams, which will be hosted in partnership with the Embassy of Mexico in the United States, and a “Peace Walk” after the national competition. In addition to the official events, the World Affairs Council of Miami has programed activities for the Global Trojans to partake in while they are in Washington D.C. Some of those activities will include a visit to the Florida House on Capitol Hill, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that serves as Florida’s state embassy on Capitol Hill to connect, celebrate and champion Florida to the world; and an arranged meeting for the students at the office of Senator Marco Rubio to learn about the work of the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, where Senator Rubio serves as a Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights, And Global Women’s Issues.

Freshman at Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High School and Global Trojan’s team member, Roberto Carmona, says “Learning about world affairs is being conscious of where our world stands and understanding its areas for improvement. It’s our responsibility, as young people to be aware of where we live, and that was the main reason which motivated me to participate in the Academic WorldQuest.” Additional activities that the World Affairs Council of Miami has planned for the students is a visit to the Embassy of France in Washington D.C. for a chocolate tasting festival. “Our team thought that it would be a great experience for the students to be able to go inside of a foreign embassy while they are in our nation’s capital,” says Lynare Robbins a board member at the World Affairs Council of Miami who has also been selected to be one of the three judges for the Carlos and Malú Alvarez 2022 Academic WorldQuest National Competition. “Me and my colleague, Catherina Rojas, who is the Education Chair of the World Affairs Council of Miami, wanted to program activities around the national competition that would help show the students the resources that exist for a career path in international affairs.” Robbins adds that many students in South Florida already have bilingual or multilingual skills that are beneficial for a career in the foreign service. Senior at Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High School and Global Trojans team member, Yaimara Luis, says “Along with furthering my knowledge of international relations and the ever-changing conflicts around the world, I have grown as a person throughout the duration of this competition. It has been an enthralling experience thus far and I’m excited for what is to come next.”

“One of the most important subjects to learn about is world affairs, but it is often a subject many people don’t pay much attention to. I’m glad to say that this experience exposed me to a wide range of knowledge on topics that are typically understudied by people in my age group. I’m also glad to say that I’ve grown as an individual and have gained stronger relationships with my teammates who help me better understand the complexities of the topics we’re studying,” adds Sophomore at Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High School student and Global Trojans team member, Kenny Nava. The President of the World Affairs Council of Miami, Aaron Rosen, says that this year’s efforts facilitating the local Academic WorldQuest competition and sending a team of young leaders from South Florida to compete in the National Academic WorldQuest competition is only the beginning as he hopes to grow the program as a world affairs resource for high schools in South Florida and to help support efforts to build a new generation of international affairs leaders from South Florida.

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