Two UAB students selected to attend international conference on foreign relations

Banks Stamp and Arshnoor GrewalThe Birmingham Committee on Foreign Relations of Alabama has selected University of Alabama at Birmingham Honors College students Arshnoor Grewal and Banks Stamp to attend the American Committee on Foreign Relations Young Leaders Initiative.

The conference will be held in Washington, D.C., from Aug. 11-14. Only 15-20 young leaders are selected to attend nationwide.

“I am honored to be able to participate in this national conference and to meet the leaders behind U.S. foreign policy,” said Grewal, a junior majoring in international studies in the College of Arts and Sciences and on a Personalized Path in the Honors College. “I hope to immerse myself and establish connections that will guide me into a career involving diplomacy and human rights.”

Student representatives will attend State Department Foreign Service Officer briefings, have lunch with Ambassador Omar Samad, former Afghan ambassador to France and Canada, participate in an episode of the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ “The Trade Guys” podcast, and attend a variety of think tank expert briefings.

“I am extremely grateful for BCFR’s willingness to share this experience with me,” said Stamp, a junior studying political science and public administration in the College of Arts and Sciences and on a Personalized Path in the Honors College. “As I am pursuing a career in public service, the Young Leaders Initiative will allow me to expand my understanding of foreign policy and operations within the State Department, as well as make lifelong connections with other students.”

Pairing their interests of international relations and public policy with human rights, the conference will allow both Stamp and Grewal to define a path toward working for the United States government and related entities and share their experiences with the next generation of students.

The American Committees on Foreign Relations is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization with headquarters in Washington, D.C. ACFR sponsors rigorous and informed foreign relations discussions across the United States. It is composed of a national confederation of member committees with more than 1,200 members across the country from Tampa Bay to Santa Barbara. The Washington, D.C., team connects government agencies, officials, distinguished foreign service members, leading think tanks, consultancies, businesses and associations with a unique network of member committees across the country.