Special thanks to

for sponsoring our weekly
Student Luncheon Programs!

Come to Our Weekly Meetings!

All students from any high school or university are invited to attend weekly Alaska World Affairs Council meetings at no cost. Please join us for a free meal, and enlightening programs focusing on a variety of important subjects. Thank you to BP for sponsoring our weekly student luncheon.

Annual Scholarship

The Alaska World Affairs Council will award $1000 to an Alaskan high school senior. Alaska World Affairs Council Outstanding Student Award recipients are chosen based on academic achievement and community involvement.

Last year’s recipient of the Alaska World Affairs Council Outstanding Student Award was Michaela Hernandez, a 2007 graduate of East Anchorage High School. Michaela was born in Iowa, but has lived in Alaska ever since. As an eighth grader, she was invited to be the youth representative on Mayor Begich’s transition team, focusing on health concerns. In high school, she belonged to the School within a School at East; for two years she was President of the Student Advisory Board. She won first place in a statewide debate tournament. Last fall she moderated an Alaska gubernatorial debate on live television. This spring Michaela spearheaded a fundraising effort for the Kisumu Children’s Orphanage in Kisumu, Kenya. She organized a spaghetti feed, a silent auction, and live entertainment from the school dance troupe and Samoan Club that raised $2,000 to buy a security fence for the orphanage, which will help prevent theft, and a further $1,600 to support the cost of attending four years of high school for a child from the orphanage. Michaela now attends the University of Alaska Anchorage as a philosophy major. She was selected as the first Forty-Ninth State Fellow in the class of 2011 at UAA’s Honors College.

Academic WorldQuest

Special thanks to


for sponsoring the 2008 Academic WorldQuest Competition

ConocoPhillips along with the World Affairs Council sponsors WorldQuest, a completion in which high school students compete by answering questions regarding international affairs, geography, history, and culture. Students participate in groups of four, and the winners of the local competition will advance, along with their chaperone, to an all-expenses-paid national competition in Washington, D.C.
This year’s competition will take place on January 26, 2008 at the Lucy Cuddy Center on the University of Alaska campus.

High School Visits

Guests of the Council often participate in visits to local high schools to speak to students. The Alaska World Affairs Council brings world-class weekly speakers to speak to Anchorage high school students at no cost to the schools. Guests usually construct a presentation unique to students, highlighting not only their topic, but also their life experience and words of wisdom. This is a great opportunity for students to hear from a variety of experts without leaving their schools.
 

Internships and Job Opportunities

The Alaska World Affairs Council is committed to supporting, inspiring, educating and mentoring students in every way possible. The Alaska World Affairs Council is proud to have received a 2007 Outstanding Partnership Award of Excellence for our school/business partnership with the Anchorage School District.

The Alaska World Affairs Council currently employs two part time assistants from the University of Alaska Anchorage in the office as well as participates in the High School Gifted Mentorship Program. See our staff page for bios of our dedicated staff.
 

              
          Sara Swimeley       Kallie Smith