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2006 Awards Week in D.C.
Banquet Speech by Eugene Kim
Each year during the annual National Peace Essay Contest Awards Program in Washington, D.C., students select two of their peers to represent them at the awards banquet. This year, Shelby Williams from Hawaii and Eugene Kim from Minnesota were chosen. Below is Eugene's speech delivered at the banquet on Thursday, June 22, 2006, where each winner was presented with an awards certifcate by Dr. Richard Solomon and the three national-level winners were announced. Each student representative spoke about their personal experience. Read Shelby's Speech.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
First of all, I’d like to extend my thanks to our Program Manager, Raina Kim, and all of our Program Instructors: Andrea St. John, Brian Lobel, Laura Stanley, and Mike Huston.
Thanks also to Ethan Schechter, Dr. Jeffery Helsing, Pamela Aall, and all the other USIP staff with whom we worked this week.
Finally, I’d like to thank Dr. Richard Solomon, Trish Thompson, and Dr. Joyce Neu for welcoming us to the banquet tonight.
Today, we celebrate the culmination of more than six months of work. It was early January when I began my essay on nuclear non-proliferation. A Minnesota January entails far more than several inches of snow. It brings with it the clouds of lethargy and the winds of apathy—an eery, atmospheric feeling of nonchalance and laziness. Yet in the midst of miserable weather and the first symptoms of senioritis, I began to research and analyze the massive issue of nuclear proliferation and the threat it represents to our world today.
When I received the FedEx package from USIP, I was shocked—I never expected that I would win. It was truly an amazing and uplifting experience—and the fact that the Institute was giving me a week-long vacation in DC for free was just a perk.
At the NPEC Awards Week this week, all 41 attending students have learned three very important things. We have learned the importance of cooperation and collaboration during a crisis. We have learned the value of social connections. And finally, we have learned to appreciate the historical moments and events that have created a truly American identity.
During simulation this week, we learned to put ourselves in character—to take on a persona whose beliefs and values may have run completely counter to our own. Whether we represented the United States government or the World Nuclear Association, we learned a great deal about forming consensus, associating with our allies, and learning to compromise with our ostensible adversaries. Yes, sometimes the debate became rancorous, venomous, and unproductive—but even so, the simulation provided a small taste of the wonderful world of international relations.
When we weren’t debating amendments to the tenth Article of the NPT or considering other modifications to one of the most comprehensive treaties yet signed, we were out having fun in Washington. We walked the Mall, hit up a play, and enjoyed the wonders of the Smithsonian with our new friends and peers. Through these experiences, we learned to appreciate the geographical, political, sociological, racial, religious, and other forms of diversity that we were fortunate enough to enjoy throughout the week. Thus, social connections and friendships were formed – bonds that will not break when we board our flights tomorrow morning.
Finally, this week we experienced unique facets of our collective American identity. We saw the names of those who sacrificed their lives in Vietnam, Korea, and World War II; we admired the foresight and wisdom of our founding fathers, and we got to see the all-too-familiar South Side of the White House – from about two hundred feet. For a Midwesterner, it is always exciting to visit other areas of the country – especially one where people actually do something exciting on a regular basis. The fact that our group was able to visit the monuments and other sights was a signal to our commonality and our consciousness as Americans – we realized, in front of those reflective walls and the beautiful walls of marble, that we all shared this bond. The Holocaust Museum, a stark reminder of the depths of humanity’s capacity for cruelty and hatred, reinforced the heritage of freedom and human rights that we, as young leaders, must defend in the next generation.
Tomorrow, we will pack our bags. Three of us will take home more money than we’ll ever know what to do with (but, of course, our colleges will). Distance, however, cannot separate the students who have grown to become a community of scholars and peers throughout the past week. This has been far more than a free vacation. For many of us, this has been the first adult experience of our young lives. And for that, I’d like to thank the USIP and all of you.
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