October 07, 2009

by Emily Matras ‘12

Allie Francis addresses an interest session for the Global Zero group she is organizing at Davidson.

Most students spend their weekends catching up on unfinished homework and sleep. Allie Francis '12, however, spent a recent whirlwind weekend at the United Nations headquarters in New York City, moderating a panel discussion on U.N. peacekeeping missions for the International Day of Peace.

The U.N. sponsors the International Day of Peace annually on September 18. Francis, a Chambers Scholar at Davidson, received an invitation to moderate because last summer she worked with the United Nations to promote Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's disarmament campaign, "We Must Disarm." She conducted most of her work from home in Montpelier, Vermont, with frequent visits to Capitol Hill to talk with congressional offices and non-profit organizations about the campaign.

As moderator on the International Day of Peace, Francis fielded questions during a panel discussion that featured U.N. officials and luminaries such as Jane Goodall. An audience of more than 600 high school students from across the U.S. was in attendance, and members of the United Nations Peacekeeping Missions in the Republic of Congo, Sudan and Liberia connected via live-feed. Francis said she was not fazed by the experience. "I've had speaking engagements in the past, so it wasn't too intimidating," she said.

However, she did find moderating to be challenging in an unexpected way. "I got my moderating script the night before the panel, and no one told me how to pronounce names," she said. "I had to listen very carefully while these important people were being introduced the next day so I wouldn't mess up. I think I said them all correctly! Pronouncing ‘Radhika Coomaraswamy,' Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, certainly gave me the most trouble."

Her summer promoting Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's campaign provided Francis with new insight into what it takes to keep the peace. "I've often thought about what I want to do career-wise, and right now I'm interested in the positive index of peace - poverty alleviation and health and well-being," she explained. "My passion is working with people, but working with the U.N. has helped me to understand the importance of policy."

The moderating experience also gave her an opportunity to interact with high-profile international peace-keeping celebrities. "I was passing notes with the high representative on disarmament affairs," she said. "Jane Goodall asked me if she could change her seat, and I was like, ‘Yes of course, you're Jane Goodall!'"

Francis has always been fascinated by the idea of peace, and is currently hoping to pursue a "peace and conflict studies" major through the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies at Davidson. Her interest also manifests itself in her service as co-president of the social-justice group Just Peace, which hosts weekly meetings for students to discuss issues of peace and foreign affairs. The U.N. experience has also led Francis to establish a Davidson chapter of Global Zero, a new international organization working for the elimination of nuclear weapons.

Certain Davidson classes have further spurred her interest. A course on the politics of human rights, which focused on the trade in small arms and its impact on child soldiering, particularly resonated with Francis. "It was interesting to bring my background from that class to my education on nuclear armament during my internship and moderating experience," she said.

Francis said her work with the U.N. has been an uplifting experience. "It's wonderful that the U.N. includes students in the International Day of Peace because it is such a busy organization," she said. "I'm grateful I got to be a part of that."

Davidson is a highly selective independent liberal arts college for 1,800 students located 20 minutes north of Charlotte in Davidson, N.C. Since its establishment in 1837 by Presbyterians, the college has graduated 23 Rhodes Scholars and is consistently regarded as one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country. Through The Davidson Trust, the college became the first liberal arts institution in the nation to replace loans with grants in all financial aid packages, giving all students the opportunity to graduate debt-free. Davidson competes in NCAA athletics at the Division I level, and a longstanding Honor Code is central to student life at the college.
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