Maddy Rodak
marodak@ursinus.edu
On Tuesday Feb. 25, UC UNICEF kicked off its first meeting complete with Dunkin’, a game of Kahoot, and an introduction to the executive board. The group will have bi-weekly meetings every Tuesday, during which members will discuss how they plan to get involved on campus and make a difference in people’s lives.
Junior Alix Segil, the President of UC UNICEF, is a Neuroscience major, also taking part in Scholars in Service. The Vice President is Junior Erin Mathews, a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major also partaking in Scholars in Service. Other members of the UC UNICEF Exec. Board include Secretary Christa Jacob (’22), Social Media Manager Andy Pham (’21), and Treasurer Leah Sulyok (’21).
Segil began the introductory meeting by asking the question: What is UNICEF? Like some of the others at the meeting, Segil stated that her first experience with Unicef was Trick or Treat for UNICEF. Segil went on to explain that, “UNICEF is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to advocate for the protection of children’s rights.”
While the first meeting for UNICEF focused on introductions, Segil explained that at future meetings, “We want to discuss in depth about how we at Ursinus can help children around the world.” Segil also emphasized that Ursinus is associated with the UNICEF organization, which means that the school is registered to come up with charity and money to help donate. Despite this being the first meeting, UC UNICEF is already preparing to engage with the community, learn more about Unicef, and make a difference. During the meeting, Segil and Mathews also discussed the UNICEF Summit conference in Maryland UC Unicef would be attending from Mar. 21-22. Segil explained that at the conference, participants will be able to “meet with world leaders who run the UNICEF organization,” network about community engagement, attend workshops, and meet other students.
If you are interested in becoming more involved on campus, UC UNICEF offers a great chance to engage with the community. The next meeting is Mar. 17 at 7 PM in Bomberger 202. The theme of the meeting will center around current events that involve children, young adults, or the less fortunate. Scholars and Bonners can also count the upcoming meetings for hours.