Fellowship takes cadet to Lebanon
May 9, 2012
Rising senior leads Model Arab League
CHARLESTON, SC – May 8, 2012 – George Hampton Cokeley is racking up his frequent flyer points. For the third consecutive summer, Cokeley will travel the world for his studies. The rising senior and Charleston, W.Va. native will journey to Lebanon with a fellowship from the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations.
As the head delegate, Cokeley will lead nine other American university students in the Model Arab League, a National Council program that educates about the politics and history of the Arab world as well as the arts of diplomacy and public speech.
“I pursued the fellowship because I have always had a strong interest in Middle Eastern affairs,” said Cokeley.
Cokeley’s interest flourished when he took a course on Islam and the West while studying in London. The summer of 2010 travel was made possible by a Star of the West Summer Fellowship from The Citadel. Cokeley repeated as a fellow in 2011 when he studied in Madrid.
When he returned to Charleston in fall 2010, the cadet enrolled in Political Science Professor Sarah Tenney’s course on Middle Eastern affairs.
“Dr. Tenney saw my interest and recruited me for the Model Arab League,” he said. “She encouraged me to apply, and I was like, why not? A trip to Lebanon sounds interesting.”
As Cokeley moves into his final year at the military college, he’s beginning to see how these experiences relate to his future goals in life.
“I am studying for the LSAT right now and I plan on going to law school eventually. But, I really want to work somewhere overseas. I would like to travel the world to find out where that place actually is.
