Senior Isabela Barriga founded this university’s chapter of the United Nations Association.
University of Maryland senior Isabela Barriga wants to spread knowledge about the United Nations and engage interested students. For that reason, the public health science major decided to create this university’s chapter of the United Nations Association.
The student-led group, one of many chapters of the national association, aims to galvanize support for the work the U.N. does and encourage students to take action on these issues in their communities.
“I definitely am interested in what students here would want the chapter to achieve, because it’s very new,” Barriga said. “I’m very open to what others would want to see.”
With some large U.N. milestones taking place recently — such as the 70th anniversary of the its creation and the implementation of sustainable development goals — now is a great time to create this university’s UNA chapter, though it’s not up and running just yet, Barriga said.
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“The U.N. Association dates back to the founding of the United Nations,” said Monika Johnson, the association’s youth engagement manager. “Our mission is … [building] public support for the U.N., making sure the public is aware of the U.S. in the United Nations.”
At the collegiate level, the association aims to educate campus communities about what the U.N. does.
“For college students, it’s especially exciting because these goals are really created with young people in mind,” Johnson said.
The association has General Assembly gatherings throughout the year that are open to youth participants, two of which Barriga has attended. She said she had the opportunity to meet many students her age who were working toward the U.N.’s goals.
Barriga said she was surprised this university didn’t already have a chapter, as the association has a presence in the Washington, D.C., area.
“Attending the General Assembly really just inspired me about all the work the U.N.’s doing, and not enough people know about it,” Barriga said. “It’s a great way to interact with people who work at the U.N., or people who come from [nongovernmental organizations].”
The university’s UNA chapter faculty advisor, Virginia Haufler, is a government and politics professor. She said she hopes students who join the association will feel more involved and aware of the goals of the United Nations, and that they will take on leadership roles.
Haufler added she would like to see the organization “educating the broader community about the United Nations and global issues and building up support for the United States as a member of these international organizations.”
Barriga said creating the club has been challenging because of a lack of interest in international relations on the campus. While an international relations track has been proposed for the government and politics major, and there are similar minors available, she was unsure if there was enough interest to form a UNA chapter on the campus.
The club will be open for students of all majors and years to join, she said.
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“You’re bound to be interested in something that the U.N. is working towards,” she said.
Johnson echoed this sentiment.
“I hope that students will be able to see how they can play a role in the U.N.’s work no matter what field they go into,” she said.
One of the most important things for Barriga, however, is getting students involved.
“Hopefully we could possibly even go to the U.N. with our group, definitely go to Congress and [find] different opportunities to engage with people who are doing this kind of work,” she said.
