A team of Stanford students placed third out of 29 teams at the 2024 Schuman Challenge, an academic competition for undergraduates to engage in rigorous dialogue on transatlantic issues in front of an audience of foreign affairs experts.
The event is named after the statesman Robert Schuman, regarded as one of the founding fathers of European unity, and is organized and funded by the Delegation of the European Union to the United States.
The team—comprised of international relations (IR) majors Lila Batcheller, Ashley Meyer, and Even Sing and political science major Christina Armoni—competed against colleges and universities across the United States. This was the first time Stanford participated in the annual foreign affairs competition, which aims to reinforce an understanding of global affairs and emphasize the strength and vitality of the partnership between the U.S. and the EU.
“Participating in the challenge was a great way to apply academic work to real-world situations,” said Batcheller, ’26. “I've enjoyed the international relations courses I've taken at Stanford. Still, the challenge provided a unique avenue to formulate and present a policy to real policymakers, a great experience that's hard to gain in the classroom.”
During the contest, which took place April 4-5 at the offices of the EU Delegation in Washington, D.C., each team was tasked with presenting and defending policy recommendations on a provided topic in front of a panel of judges from embassies, think tanks, and media organizations. During the two-day event, there were also opportunities to network with EU policy officials and attend mentoring sessions on careers in foreign policy.
Photo caption: Fourth from left in order: Even Sing, Christina Armoni, Ashley Meyer, and Lila Batcheller receiving their awards for placing third in the 2024 Shuman Challenge.
“Before the Schuman Challenge, I had never visited Washington,” said Armoni, ’26, an international student from Greece. “My favorite moment was when we met Jovita Neliupšienė, the EU Ambassador to the U.S. During day two, we presented in front of her, among other judges, and it was an amazing opportunity to discuss our topic with experts of the field.”
This year’s assigned question focused on enhancing EU-U.S. engagement with the Latin American and Caribbean region. The Stanford team distinguished itself by writing a brief on Multilateral Cooperation on Global Lithium Supply. They decided to focus on this topic after identifying the U.S. and EU’s dependance on lithium as a strong vulnerability in the global economy, explained Sing.
“The global transition to green technology is heavily dependent on lithium, a mineral used to manufacture electric batteries for electric cars and renewable infrastructure. As it stands, however, the EU and U.S. are reliant on external actors like China, who controls much of the world’s lithium processing industry,” said Sing. “Our policy brief proposed the deepening of ties between the EU, U.S., and Latin American countries like Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile, who all possess extensive lithium deposits, in order to promote sustainable, equitable, and mutually advantageous development of lithium refinement and extraction.”
Their brief earned them third prize, while a team from the University of Utah came in second and a team from American University placed first.
“Getting third place at the competition was a great validation of the strength of Stanford's international relations program,” shared Batcheller, ’26. “We had so much support from various program staff, professors, and resources on campus, and it was great to see all of that support manifest itself in our success at the challenge.”
IR associate director Paul Festa played a critical role in organizing Stanford’s involvement in the annual competition – from encouraging a team of students to apply, to inviting guest speakers to attend weekly team meetings, to securing funding from VPUE through a Nexus Departmental Grant. In the future, he hopes to include participation in the competition as one of the capstone options for seniors pursuing a degree in international relations.
To get ready for the contest, the team conducted original research and prepared to present and defend their proposal. Under the mentorship of Christophe Crombez, a lecturer in the Program in International Relations, they began preparing in late fall and met weekly throughout winter quarter.
In the months leading up to the competition, Thomas O’Keefe, a lecturer in the Center for Latin American Studies, attended several meetings to share his expertise on Latin America. The team also met with lecturers Doree Allen and Helen Lie from the Hume Center for Writing and Speaking, who helped the students refine their oral presentation skills. At the final rehearsal, IR Director Ken Schultz and lecturer Rob Rakove challenged the team with a set of difficult and thought-provoking questions.
“Our success is a cumulation of our individual contributions, the guidance and knowledge of Stanford's wonderful faculty, and the numerous resources the university provides to its students and faculty,” said Meyer, ’25. “Without support, our group would have never gone as far as we did, and to have placed in the top three is a testament to the strengths of the university as a whole.”
2024 Shuman Challenge photos
Photos courtesy of the Delegation of the European Union to the United States
