March 5, 2008

OWU Student Headed to China for Global Young Leaders Summit

Vanisha Bisnath ’11 (pictured here, second from left) at the Global Young Leaders Conference last year in Washington, D.C.

“Last year when I was applying to U.S. universities, the educational advisor of the U.S. Embassy in Mauritius came to know me, and she nominated me to participate in the Global Young Leaders Conference in New York City and [Washington], D.C.,” says Bisnath, a pre-engineering and math double major.

As one of 200 participants invited to attend this year’s Global Young Leaders Summit, Bisnath will travel to China June 7-18 for the international event. She, along with the other college freshmen and high school seniors invited, became eligible to participate because of past involvement with the Global Young Leaders Conference.

During the 11-day event, Bisnath will meet with peers from around the world to debate global issues, express opinions, propose solutions, and vote on final resolutions. The participants also will visit historically and economically significant locations—such as the Great Wall of China and Tiananmen Square—and reflect on the experience as a group.

Each day of the Summit will have a different theme, such as communication, the economy, or diplomacy in the Asia Pacific region. Key presentation topics will focus on Chinese culture and etiquette, the impact of trade and economy in Asia, and the engine of economic development. Participants also will get a taste of Beijing’s culture with a traditional Peking duck dinner, and will enjoy a dinner theater experience and take part in a networking event during their stay.

A native of Mauritius, a tiny island off the southeastern coast of Africa, Bisnath was initially interested in attending Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, at the recommendation of her advisor. She stumbled across Ohio Wesleyan during her research and thought it might be a good fit.

“I learned that OWU was a small liberal arts institution, and I thought that such a small student population would be nice and that there would be a more efficient student-professor interaction,” says Bisnath, now a presidential scholar at Ohio Wesleyan.

With an ultimate goal of pursuing medical school or graduate school for advanced engineering studies, Bisnath also was impressed with Ohio Wesleyan graduates’ acceptance rate track record. In excess of 80 percent of OWU students who applied in the past three years to medical or other professional schools were accepted.

As an active participant in campus activities such as Circle K, Habitat for Humanity, and the Badminton Club, Bisnath hopes to gain more than just a stamp on her passport during this June’s trip to China.

“I hope to sharpen my leadership skills even more, be more assertive, mature, learn diplomacy at its highest level, and put into practice these acquired skills by working for an international organization such as the [United Nations Organization],” she says. “It is also very exciting to meet my peers from different countries.”

– Ann Marcum