4 NH students attend NATO Summit alongside Sen. Shaheen

Four college students from New Hampshire became Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s guests at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Summit held last week in Washington, DC. 

Emeri Jacobs of Hampton, Vidushi Sharma of Hanover, Bryn Pearson of Colebrook, and Norah Clancy of Amherst were a part of Shaheen’s entourage that attended the conference and witnesses sessions discussing key issues concerning international peace and security and transatlantic diplomacy from July 9-11. 

The four attendees—selected based on their interest in foreign policy and their availability— reflected on their participation, and spoke with the Granite State about the summit, which also marked 75 years of the NATO alliance. 

Jacobs, a legislative intern at Sen. Shaheen’s office, who is studying political science at the University of New Hampshire, said her passion for national and international security drew her to participate in the conference. 

“NATO is foundational to many of the things we discuss in those courses and there is no doubt of its importance to national and international security studies,” she said. “As I look ahead past graduation, I can see myself pursuing a career related to security policy, so to me, the NATO Summit was an incredible exposure to what a future career could look like.”

All four students said that seeing so many world leaders under one roof was an unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. 

“Seeing world leaders and policymakers in action was awe-inspiring, and witnessing female leaders like the prime ministers of Denmark and Estonia was particularly empowering,” said Clancy, a student at Keene State College, who was most interested to hear dialogue on climate change and environmental policy within the defense industry. “It underscored the importance of female representation in global leadership and motivated me to aspire towards making my own impact in international affairs.”

Sen. Shaheen, in a written statement to the Granite Post, said she believes it is important for the youth to be engaged in foreign policy.

“Our youth are the future leaders of this nation, so I was glad to secure invitations for four Granite State students to join as my guests for the NATO Public Diplomacy Forum today, where they witnessed transatlantic diplomacy up close,” said Sen. Shaheen.

Sharma—an intern with Sen. Shaheen—who is studying  international relations at Dartmouth College, said she was most looking forward to the international community deliberate on Ukraine’s ongoing war with Russia. 

“I was most interested in learning about plans for Ukraine’s accession into NATO as well as the recent enlargement of NATO after Sweden and Finland joined earlier this year,” Sharma said, highlighting that her parents’ immigrant background has helped her maintain a global perspective of politics. “Both of these topics were discussed, and I look forward to hearing more about the logistical realities of maintaining an independent Ukraine post-war.”

Pearson, who is majoring in government with minors in philosophy and European studies at St. Lawrence University in New York, said she was most interested in hearing diverse panelists from non-NATO countries like Ukraine and New Zealand. She also said that many people looked at her and the other young attendees with hopes to carry forward astute foreign policy work to the next generation. 

“I’ll admit, I was a little intimidated, and sometimes found myself looking around with the sense that I didn’t belong there,” Pearson, a former Shaheen intern said. “However, throughout the Summit, multiple people approached us and thanked us for being there, highlighting the importance of our generation’s engagement and our task to carry on their mission.”