From the classroom to the global stage, students in Creighton’s Intro to World Politics class stepped up at the Nebraska World Affairs Council’s Annual Honor & Banquet, addressing state leaders, diplomats and business executives on issues like climate change and political division. Their voices reflected the heart of Jesuit education: engaging the world’s toughest challenges with courage, insight and a commitment to the common good. The event showed the power of young students, like those on Creighton’s campus, to voice the world’s urgent need for change and action.
Students from Creighton University’s World Politics class, PLS 105, traded the classroom for the global stage, speaking before state leaders, international guests and business executives at the Nebraska World Affairs Council’s Annual Honor & Banquet. The event, hosted on Sept. 11 at Happy Hollow Country Club in Omaha, brought together voices from across Nebraska and abroad to discuss pressing global issues.
Led by Professor Jiang Maorong, director of Creighton’s Asian World Center and co-president of the Nebraska World Affairs Council, students presented on two critical themes: climate change and political division. Their speeches, delivered alongside seasoned diplomats and public officials, underscored the power of youth engagement in shaping the future.
“This was an incredible opportunity for students to practice civic engagement at a professional level,” Jiang said. “The university is not enough for our students. The real world is the stage where students should be involved. That is the fundamental philosophy of Jesuit education — to get students into the real world to deal with real problems and possible solutions.”
One group of Creighton students tackled the theme of political polarization in the United States. Their presentation traced the roots of division, examined modern challenges and called on leaders to amplify the voices of young people.
Weston Wise, a sophomore in the Heider College of Business and College of Arts and Sciences, situated today’s political climate within a long historical arc.
“[Now that] the why and the how of the current state of the political divide in the U.S. [have been discussed], we can first examine the founders’ intent … the 1900s in this country begin with hope as several key pieces of bipartisan legislature were passed across the aisle, such as Social Security in the ‘30s and Medicare and Medicaid in the ‘60s,” Wise said. “This led to the civility and the respect in that political hemisphere.”
Wise also argued that media and government power have deepened the divide in modern times.
“The horse-race style of coverage of elections incentivize flash over substance, polling and strategy over policy and impact,” Wise said. “Misinformation leads to a decline in trust. A lack of trust leads to confusion. And as it’s been proven time and time again, confusion leads to conflict.”
Still, Wise suggested that division — while dangerous — also provides a safeguard against authoritarianism.
“Paradoxically, the very division that frustrates us just may be the last safeguard protecting us from a tyrannical minority. The burden is now in our generation … to ensure that this divide comes with baggage of productivity and empathy,” he said.
John Quinn, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences and another student in the group, delivered an emotional plea for action, tying his remarks to recent national tragedy.
“It is true to say at this moment the world has never been more intrinsically connected in the whole of human history. Yet, we have never been further apart,” Quinn said. “As I’m sure all of you know, just yesterday, a political commentator was assassinated in a very public and in a very gruesome manner. All for stating his beliefs, a right that he was granted by our Constitution … Charlie Kirk is the latest casualty of this growing and gaping chasm between us. He will not be the last if we do not act. His blood was not the first shed as a victim of our division.”
Quinn closed with a direct appeal to Nebraska leaders present in the room.
“Our voices are there. But the choice is in the hands of leaders like all of you to either ignore these rising voices or amplify them. Please, continue to amplify our voices. Help us bridge this ever-growing divide,” he said.
As a young political science student, Quinn said the experience meant a lot to him.
“It’s nice to actually have a forum to voice your views and needs as a member of the youth to people of actual positions of influence,” Quinn said. “A lot of the time, when you do that, it just kind of feels like throwing words out into the void. But here, they listened, and that matters.”
Quinn said he hoped their voices would help spark broader conversations.
“I don’t think that we enacted a change, but I feel like we definitely voiced our part. We did what we could as students, as young people. It’s still in their hands. So really we are limited to our voices and we made sure our voices were heard,” he said.
For Maorong, the students’ performance affirmed his mission to bring Creighton’s Jesuit values into the global sphere.
“The students are not selfish. They want to be involved,” Jiang said. “The best part of being a professor is that you connect with your students. Students can talk to you and be part of your dream. That’s why I just want to create any opportunity that’s available to get them involved … so, you know, just like a normal thing, you have a kid and you want a kid to be better than you. And that’s the simple logic. So, I want my student way better than me.”
Jiang praised their performance, noting how quickly they rose to the occasion.
“We rehearsed only once, not even twice in class. It’s just amazing. And I was so afraid that my students make the credit on the global stage, but they performed so well,” he said.
Jiang also highlighted how the event connects Nebraska with international communities. Attendees included Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen, Deputy Secretary of State Cindi Allen, the mayor of Omaha’s sister city Shizuoka, Japan, and numerous business and community leaders.
“It’s such a small place but connected to the great world outside,” Jiang said. “And our students just performed so well. The Omaha sister city immediately wanted them to come perform in their annual event … I plan to have this presentation again on our own campus to showcase how freshman and sophomore students care about the big things that everybody is worried about — global change, political polarization.”
For both students and faculty, the banquet underscored Creighton’s role in preparing students not only for careers but for citizenship. Jiang described it as part of the Jesuit mission: cultivating “moral and genuine and sincere” leaders who can engage with the world’s challenges.
“Politics cannot be just a dirty part. It has to be a better part of it. And we want to use that better part to brighten the environment, the place that we all call home here,” Jiang said. “Creighton stands on such a good stage that can lead and be part of the global solution to things that concern our future and our generation’s future.”
By the end of the night, Creighton students had not only impressed state and international leaders, but also embodied the university’s commitment to being men and women for and with others.
“Even if it’s in a small corner of the world like Nebraska, that’s where real change starts. It starts in all the corners and then it spreads. And I feel like that’s important,” Jiang said.