Faculty of Law student selected as winner of Multilingual Essay Contest

From a pool of over 3,600 entrants, Ms. Shazana Eliza Zainab Rohr, a Faculty of Law student at the University of Groningen, was one of 60 students from 36 countries representing 54 universities to be selected as a winner of the 2016 Many Languages, One World® international essay contest.

The contest was organized by ELS Educational Services, Inc., and the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI). Ms. Rohr attended the Many Languages, One World Global Youth Forum at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. Rohr was provided with an all-expense-paid trip to New York City and the opportunity to speak at the General Assembly of the United Nations.

On July 29, 2016, Rohr and the other winners presented action plans related to the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Many Languages, One World contest challenged students around the globe to write an essay examining global citizenship, cultural understanding and the role that the multilingual ability can have in fostering both. Entrants submitted essays in one of the six official United Nations languages, which could be neither the student’s first language nor in his/her primary language of instruction. The official languages of the United Nations are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.

Rohr studies International and European Law at the University of Groningen. For the contest, Rohr wrote her essay in English.

2016 marked the third year of the Many Languages, One World Essay Contest and Global Youth Forum. In 2016, more than 9,000 students and sponsors from 165 countries participated in the initial phase of this contest. Students who participated are pursuing undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees. Winners fields of study include language and linguistics, medicine, architecture, computer science and technology, business, and sustainable research management.

For more information, visit www.manylanguagesoneworld.org.