[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 64 (Friday, April 12, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E453]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





 RECOGNIZING UTAH VALLEY UNIVERSITY STUDENTS FOR ADVOCACY ON BEHALF OF 
WOMEN IN MOUNTAIN COMMUNITIES AT THE 63RD SESSION OF THE COMMISSION ON 
                          THE STATUS OF WOMEN

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                            HON. BEN McADAMS

                                of utah

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 12, 2019

  Mr. McADAMS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend the members of 
the Utah International Mountain Forum, a coalition of student clubs at 
Utah Valley University (UVU) on efforts to advance sustainable mountain 
development around the world. These accomplished 13 students help 
highlight how UVU's Student Engaged Learning (SEL) model gives students 
opportunities for both professional advancement and the chance to work 
with local, state, national and international leaders to foster 
sustainable development, particularly for women and girls.
  Through SEL, students take the lead in learning how to solve problems 
by collaborating with faculty mentors. Most of the students are 
nontraditional students who work full- or part-time, are 25 years or 
older and support a family while attending school.
  Months of preparation preceded the New York event. They partnered 
with two prominent NGS--the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences and 
Utah China Friendship Improvement Sharing Hands Development and 
Cooperation--to submit goals for addressing food insecurity, education 
access and climate change effects in mountain communities. They 
participated in global events such as the 61st and 62nd Commission on 
the Status of Women and organized celebrations on International 
Mountain Day and International Women's Day that brought high-level 
diplomats from around the world to see Utah's efforts firsthand.
  During CSW63, the students hosted a parallel event to highlight the 
successful implementation of UVU's engaged learning model to address 
issues facing women and girls in Utah. It also showcased international 
women studying in Utah. Individual students presented their own work, 
including Hannah Bieker who spoke on her peers' service projects in 
support of impoverished women in Mexico; Megan Davis spoke on Utah's 
distinction as the first state to allow women to vote; William Gum-
Causey spoke on Utah and UVU's efforts to address aspects of the 
state's rural/urban economic divide; and Aldon Trimble spoke on joint 
UVU-Oxford University research about Utah's air quality and how Utah 
addresses the problems of the children of incarcerated parents.
  These combined efforts and events allowed the UVU delegation to 
demonstrate the role that students--particularly nontraditional 
students--play in contributing to sustainable development in both Utah 
and mountain communities around the world. By empowering themselves, 
the students help empower other communities and the women and girls 
residing there.

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