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On a sultry July afternoon, the historic buildings at the University of Delaware’s Old College appeared somnolent as they basked in the sun. But inside Recitation Hall, Yasmine Zeineddine was the epitome of positive energy, her dark curls bouncing as she spoke animatedly about establishing youth development programs in her home country of Lebanon.
Zeineddine and 14 other student leaders were participating in the Middle Eastern Partnership Initiative-Student Leaders Program (MEPI-SLP), which UD has hosted for the last 20 years. The U.S. State Department sponsors the program, which is designed to help Middle Eastern young people build leadership and problem-solving skills through academic, experiential and community service activities. The students arrived at UD’s Newark campus July 1, after an inaugural session in Washington, D.C. with other MEPI scholars who were placed at Georgetown University, Montana State University and Portland State University. The students returned home July 24.
At Recitation Hall, the students had gathered for a workshop on how to effectively communicate with government officials. Other sessions covered civic engagement strategies, project management, budgeting, conflict resolution, navigating climate change, and more. The students also had the opportunity to meet with local and national leaders, including U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Rashmi Rangan, executive director of the Delaware Financial Literacy Institute.
They toured the United Nations in New York City; visited the Constitution Center in Philadelphia and strolled the boardwalk in Rehoboth Beach. They sorted and packed canned goods at the Food Bank of Delaware’s Newark site and learned about indigenous culture and storytelling from Nanticoke tribal elders at the Nanticoke Indian Museum in Millsboro.
“It’s been a really positive and welcoming experience,” said Zeineddine, 22, who is studying for a master’s in public health. “We have been exposed to amazing experts in different fields these past few weeks.”