ESU Backup Insider

Picture- From Left; Kennedy Sheeley, Mary Ellen McNish (senior Advisor to the Nobel Laureate Summit Secretariat in Rome), Dr. Sam Quainoo, Layne Taylor, Ahmadu Jalloh, Annalise Cole, Tom Pettit, and Mariah Ramos.

Samuel E. Quainoo, Ph.D., professor and chair of political science and economics at East Stroudsburg University and six of his students attended the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates in Merida, Mexico in September. ESU was the only public university in the U.S. that was represented at the conference, which included more than 1,600 attendees from high schools to Ivy League institutions.

The World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates was established in 1999 and is known as one of the most relevant and prestigious events related to peace around the world. Celebrating its 20th year since its inception, this year’s theme, Leave Your Mark for Peace, addressed various issues including: social and economic development, indigenous peoples’ cultures and regional peace, global demographics, global media responsibility in peace building, rule of law and international cooperation, and peace education.

Nobel Peace Prize Laureates in attendance included Frederik Willem de Klerk, former president of South Africa, Lech Walesa, former president of Poland, Juan Manuel Santos, former president of Colombia, as well as seven other laureates.

Quainoo was accompanied by five ESU students, Annalise Cole, a junior political science student from Tobyhanna, Pa.; Ahmadu Jalloh, a graduate student studying political science from Allentown, Pa.; Tom Pettit, a senior political science major from Jamison, Pa.; Mariah Ramos, a graduate student studying management and leadership from Bushkill, Pa.; and Kennedy Sheeley, a graduate student studying history from Saylorsburg, Pa. Layne Taylor, also joined the trip. Taylor, currently a graduate student at Howard University studying international relations, graduated from ESU in 2018 with a degree in political science.

Sheeley spoke about how much this conference really resonated with her. “It is very important to bring people together and that is what this conference is all about; making peace with one another,” Sheeley said.

One of her favorite memories of the conference was being immersed in the culture in Merida, Mexico, by indulging in the freshest Mexican cuisine and talking to some of the local residents. At the World Summit her favorite workshop was on open communication.

“Open communication is a major component of working well with other people, especially between countries, and opposite parties, because you always want to be open to compromise,” said Sheeley. “That seminar applied to anything in life such as personal relationships, friendships, or advocating for yourself.”

Jalloh spoke of his experience and how lucky he was to attend a conference of this significance. Jallon spoke strongly about how humbled he was to be able to sit in the same room with individuals such as the former president of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos.

“A big theme was about reaching people. If you want to do something, you can’t sit around and wait for it. You must take action,” said Jalloh.

Besides being able to attend workshops and panels of Nobel Peace Prize recipients, Dr. Quainoo was invited to present a workshop he titled, “Globalization: The Good, The Bad, and The Evil.” He describes it as a “privileged opportunity.”

“My presentation was probably one of my most memorable moments. It was so well attended and the discussion was so intense that we exceeded our time,” said Quainoo. “It was a little nerve-racking, but it was such a privilege, and a prestigious event to be able to contribute.”

The students on the trip stressed their thankfulness to ESU by helping them fund this experience.

“ESU is really good with helping students get these outside experiences. I wouldn’t have been able to go if it weren’t for their assistance. A lot of students do not get this opportunity, so I am very grateful,” Sheeley said.

“One of the main objectives of the conference was to inspire,” said Sheeley. “Meeting different people from all over the world, and meeting people with the same goal as me – I left really inspired.”

Quainoo has attend six World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates internationally from Spain to Italy. The 2019 Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, was announced in October.