Congratulations to BYU’s Model European Union team, hosted by the Kennedy Center for International Studies, which recently competed successfully at the West Coast Model European Union.
This event, held annually at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, brings together university undergraduate students from the western United States to practice their diplomacy, negotiation, and public speaking skills in a simulation of a European Council summit. This year, eight BYU students traveled to Seattle, Washington from 6 to 7 March 2026 to compete.
Preparing for the Competition
Beth Cheatham, a European Studies major with an International Cinema minor, applied for the team after hearing about it in her Intro to European Studies class. “At first, I didn’t know if it was something I’d really be good at,” she says. “But I was starting to have more of an interest in government and diplomacy, so I applied and got on the team.”
Before the event, they prepared during a weekly class for the first half of winter semester. Sadie Casperson, a History and Economics major with a minor in European Studies, explains, “In preparation for the competition, we met once a week in a class to learn the proceedings and research together. Most preparation was done outside of class, where we researched the assigned issues and wrote papers based on the position that we represented. Then we worked collaboratively to make sure all of us could succeed.”
Pairs of students are assigned to represent countries in the European Union; this year’s team represented Lithuania, Slovakia, Hungary, and Italy. Each team researched important issues from the point of view of the country they were going to represent, in order to prepare to debate those issues at the simulation. “I would say the biggest focus of the prep class and the work we were doing was for our position papers we wrote,” says Cheatham, “which outlined our country's position on the issues that we were going to be discussing.”
At the Competition
In March, the team traveled to Seattle along with team coach Sara Kjersti Jensen and faculty advisor Rob McFarland. The first evening, there was an introductory dinner for all the different teams to meet and mingle. “That’s your time to start getting to know people,” explains Cheatham. “There aren’t any formal meetings happening, but a lot of informal negotiations happen then. We were talking about our positions on things and looking for those countries we thought could be potential allies.”
The next day, the participants met in committees. “In a session, there was a formal debate, where we discussed the introduced topic by the mediator,” says Casperson. “We were called on to present our information in a speech style. There was also a section called an informal debate where we could speak freely, move around, and negotiate. This is where most progress was made. Then we would vote on what we discussed in a formal debate when it resumed.”
The topics they discussed were ones that might appear in a real European Council Summit: military procurement, allowing countries into the EU, the Digital Markets Act, and rare earths mining. “We were trying to represent our country as best we could,” says Cheatham, who represented Lithuania in the Economy Ministers committee. “The things they're looking for in the competition are soft skills: they want you to represent your country well, but also, for anything to pass, it has to be unanimous, so they're also wanting to look at how you're collaborating and working with other competitors.”
The BYU team performed well, winning three of the eight awards that were given. “I am personally very proud of how the entire team did,” says Casperson. “I saw the progress that everyone made, and in the end, everyone performed above their perceived ability.”
She’s also proud of her own performance: “At the end of the competition, I felt like I had done everything that I could to represent the process and my country. This proved to be true when I won an award for honorable mention as one of the best delegates.”
Cheatham says that one of the best parts of the competition is the debate, and that it's interesting to do so from the point of view of another country: “I think it's really critical to be able to understand how somebody else thinks, even if you disagree with it.” She says that experiences like Model EU “develop greater empathy and understanding of where people are coming from. And that's a really great way to be able to make compromises and come to a consensus that helps everybody.”
After the Competition
For both Casperson and Cheatham, the experience was both fun and formative. “I've only done MEU this year, and it was very influential in what I'm deciding to do,” says Casperson. “I learned that I really like the research and collaboration that goes into Model EU. That's what made me want to plan to pursue a master's in public administration.”
Cheatham says that her experiences align with her career goals: “I am interested in possibly doing diplomacy policy work with the EU in the future, so this was really specific practice in a way that I haven't had before. Even though it’s a mock simulation, it made me realize that this this is something that really excites me and that I want to continue doing in the future.”
But even for those who aren’t in European Studies or planning to go into diplomacy, the experience can be beneficial, says Cheatham: “It's a great way to practice public speaking, especially off the cuff, as well as critical thinking, collaboration, negotiations, and other soft skills. It’s also a good experience to be on a team and interact with students from other universities, plus it looks really great on a resume.”
For those students who might be interested in joining, Casperson encourages, “Every student can learn useful skills in collaboration, public communication, and compromise. To anyone considering joining this team, I would tell them that it is influential if you plan to work with people in the future, which happens in almost every field. And it is a great way to bond with students who come together, regardless of what your major is.”
Cheatham says, “It’s kind of a cliché, but I would just say ‘Go for it.’ At the beginning, I didn’t think it was something I would be good at doing, but it’s chiller than you would think, and the prep class helps a lot. I really feel like anybody could learn to do it. If you want to do it, go for it.”
If you’re interested in learning more about how to join the team, you can reach out to Professor Rob McFarland.