A Uniquely American Opportunity in the UK

The event I mentioned in a rather cryptic post on my blog, Belfast or Bust, has come to pass, and, if you were in or around QUB today, you’ve no doubt figured out what it was.   US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was visiting QUB for a summit on industry in Northern Ireland and the relationship between the US and Northern Ireland, particularly with regard to the technology sector.   She also had meetings at Stormont Parliament on the remaining terrorist (sectarian) violence in Belfast.  I was instructed to not speak of the event until it had taken place to ensure security. The giant barricades and the police presence and large vehicles reminiscent of more volatile times in Belfast certainly did nothing for the secrecy, though most of the university had no idea what was going on until Secretary Clinton actually arrived.

Note: Before anyone starts freaking out about me being in a terrorist zone, I should point out that Northern Ireland actually has the lowest crime and violence rates in all of Europe.  

Now, I was told I had to be through security by 10:30am.   At every point, I was told, “Students are not attending this event.”  And, each time, I would reply, “My name’s on the list. I’m to attend.”   They would check their lists and, amazingly, my name would be there!  I found out later that only five students were invited — the student union president and vice president, the two Mitchell Scholars at QUB, and myself.   We were left to mingle with various business folk, which didn’t work out so well.   Many of them, it turned out, were being asked to speak in the summit and were nervous and practicing what they had to say on their fellows.

When it was time for the summit to begin, those participating were shuffled into the meeting room, and the Mitchell Scholars and I were positioned on the side of the room.  Among others, I got to meet Lieutenant General Paul Selva, who was incredibly kind and seemed genuinely interested in my research and volunteer ambitions.   Next, Secretary Clinton came in, briefly shook hands, and moved into the meeting room.   At this point, we decided that we should head down to the Great Hall, where her speech would later take place, in order to actually have a seat.

The speech she gave was good.   She discussed the strides that have been made in the past 15 years in the Northern Irish industry.  Technology has boomed here, and NI corporations have actually supplied jobs to Americans.   There are issues yet to be resolved, but the process is positive on the whole.

After the speech, Secretary Clinton gave us a few minutes of her time.   She was pleased to see three students at QUB on two of the most prestigious scholarships from the US.   She said it illustrates the positive growth NI has shown — Mitchell Scholars can choose anywhere in Ireland to study, and I could have chosen anywhere in the UK.

Leave a Reply

Name (required)

Mail (will not be published) (required)

Website