Erika Santaella, campus co-director of the Millennium Fellowship Program at FIU, had the opportunity to represent our university at the United Nations! What an incredible experience!
From April 15th to April 17th, the United Nations (UN) Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) in collaboration with the UN Youth Office and the United Nations Inter Agency Network on Youth Development (IANYD) held the annual ECOSOC Youth Forum at their headquarters in New York. The forum brought student voices from around the world to discuss the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Erika, an International Relations and Political Science major, was invited to attend as the co-director of our campus’s Millennium Fellowship program, facilitated by the Office of Global Learning Initiatives.
Erika shares, “I went into the Forum with great expectations. I imagined a room filled with motivated young leaders worldwide, all working toward the same goal: a bright future.”
Throughout the forum, students were directly involved in conversations that focused on SDG goals pertaining to health, equality, and the environment. Students gained first-hand knowledge of what it was like to participate in policymaking and decision-making.
Erika continues, “I was there to represent and participate in an important debate about the future global agenda. Witnessing peers from nations I had only read about sparked new ideas and experiences based on resilience and ingenuity. While our obstacles may be different, I learned that our drive to overcome them brings us together.”
Other sessions expanded discussion of meeting the SDG goals in different regions of the world, from Latin America and Africa to Asia and the Pacific, Europe, North America, the Caribbean, and the Arab states. Erika adds, “I saw firsthand how youthful voices affect policy conversations, specifically when they are based on action and in each personal region. This reinforced my belief that our lived experiences are credible sources of expertise, particularly when dealing with challenges such as climate justice, digital inclusion, and educational access. They are what push us to want to generate change.”
The event concluded with a session encouraging the young leaders at the forum to push forward and continue to create change from their local communities to the greater global one. In creating a new network for herself, Erika reflected on how the event shaped her as a student and pre-professional, “Participating in the ECOSOC Youth Forum was more than just an event; it served as a reminder that, as young people, we are already leading. Leadership begins when we decide to act.”
When asked if she had any advice for students who want to participate in opportunities like this, Erika responded: “If you're considering applying to the ECOSOC Youth Forum or any comparable opportunity, do it. Begin by committing to something meaningful on campus or in your community. Allow your enthusiasm to drive your project, seek mentoring, and be confident in telling your story. You don't need all the answers; you need the confidence to start.”
To learn more about the forum, please visit the ECOSOC website here: