The Strength of the International Relations Club
When there’s over 600 registered student organizations at UCF that are all unique in their own way, how do you make your own organization stand out from the rest?
One way the UCF International Relations Club (IRC) addresses the issue is by hosting innovative social events such as “International Relations 2013 edition Monopoly,” cultural film nights, group bowling, and hosting their end of the semester potluck with their members.
“IRC is an organization that gives all students interested in international affairs the opportunity to form a community, gain valuable resources, as well as develop a variety of IR-related activities.” affirms Melissa Mahanpour, the current IRC president. The club focuses on assisting students within the Political Science department by making them aware of available resources offered by UCF and fellow club members that may go unnoticed. Mahanpour goes on to say, “We aim at developing the Political Science department, encouraging student involvement at UCF and within the community, as well as fostering the personal development of students as individuals and professionals.”
The IRC separates itself from other organizations on campus by facilitating members of the club first hand news on available internships, scholarships and all other resources. Promoting international awareness through political discussion on foreign affairs and capturing those piqued in the field are the primary focuses of the club. The IRC president states, “The officers try to generate interest in the club by creating thought-provoking topics for the meetings, creating social media accounts such as Instagram, Facebook and the Facebook IRC Global Chat page.” Becoming an IRC member is beneficial because you are exposed to exclusive internships, develop useful networking bonds, improving leadership skills among other abilities. “Students gain inspiration through the club and found ways to boost their resumes” remarks Maranphour.
Being a part of the club establishes a strong bond between the members and encourages them to be excellent. Mahanpour gives acknowledgement to some IRC associates who are on the path to success: “I would like to give special recognition to Lucien Charland. He is currently a senior with a Political Science major and part of the Burnett Honors College. Lucien helped start this club on June 26, 2013, however, his term was made short through his trip to Spain, as an intern for the US State department.” She goes on to boast about Austin Chegini who stepped in for Charland as the 2013-2014 president for IRC. Chegini’s determination to keep IRC going even when the club had a low membership was impeccable. “Austin’s main goal was to keep the club up and running.” The president references Amanda Fleming (2013-2014 VP) and Richard Haddock (2013-2014 Secretary) who are both currently in DC for the US State Department internship for the fall 2014 semester. Mahanpour states, “many other members have found inspiration by doing Honors in the major thesis as well as interning for the UCF Global Perspective Research office”
The IRC participates in two conferences for the 2014-2015 year. On the October 27-30th, nine members will be attending the U.S – Arab Policymakers Conference in Washington D.C. “If all goes successful this semester, we will try to make this an annual trip. The next conference we will participate as a group will be at the St. Petersburg World Affairs Conference in February” notes Mahanpour. She goes on to comment on the recent mini forum IRC hosted on October 21, which involved a discussion between the Justice for Palestine club and Pro-Israel students at UCF. “The discussion is one step further for the club to fully develop to promoting a state-wide conference”.
For more information on the International Relations Club, you can contact them on their social networks below:
Email: Irclub.ucf@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/irc.ucf/
Instagram: irclub.ucf