For my final reflection of the semester, I was chosen to participate in the Mershon Center working conference on “Exploring Obstacles to Social Cohesion in the Aftermath of Violent Conflict.” The conference took place from November 15-16th. I decided to consider this event a Professional Development event, as I was able to further my professional goals by attending and create relationships with many of the practitioners and academics present at the conference.

Over the course of the two-day conference, I worked with three other undergraduate students to facilitate discussion and record group conversation. Each of the students covered a panelist in depth, spanning three panels over the duration of the conference. I often worked directly with small break-out discussion groups, contributing to the overall direction of the conversation and taking diligent notes. After the conference had ended, the three other students and myself wrote up short descriptions of the panelist and subsequent conversations, compiling this descriptions into a conference brief. “Exploring Obstacles” was organized by the Conflict to Peace Lab at the Mershon Center, which is headed by Chris Gelpi, Teri Murphy, and Austin Knuppe. I was able to work closely with these three due to my involvement with the conference, giving me an invaluable insight into the C2P’s work at the Mershon Center.

I was fortunate to work with many amazing academics and practitioners. Dr. Hollie Nyseth Brehm was one of the attendees, and I found many of her ideas and insights to be of great interest to both myself and the group at large. I loved hearing her discuss her work in Rwanda – it felt like such a wonderful bridge between the academics and practitioners present. Many agencies and organizations were also represented, including Tearfund and Christian Aid. Veena O’Sullivan and Natalia Chan, respectively, were able to give accounts of their work in the field. Chan, specifically, was able to detail her work in South Sudan in a way that respected the academic opinion but spoke to the hardships faced by practitioners, as well. Being able to work with the Mershon Center in this setting allowed me to meet some truly wonderful individuals whom I hope to meet with again in the future.

This event tied into International Affairs in several ways. As members of the global international community, we must always be aware of the suffering that occurs daily in our world. But, on a slightly more upsetting note, we must also be aware of the difficulties presented to those who are attempting to ease that suffering. As an International Affairs scholar, I felt that hearing firsthand accounts of these difficulties helped me to realize that peacebuilding often consists of trial and error. There is no roadmap for transitional justice, just as there is often no roadmap for senseless violence and conflict. Therefore, I truly believe that being able to attend and actively participate in this conference has not only made me a better peacebuilder and International Affairs scholar, but truly a better member of the international community as a whole.