Euro Challenge Team Advances to Semifinals

Michelle H. Daino
Ms. Brennan shared that the Mount Saint Mary Academy Euro Challenge team advanced to the semifinal round of this year’s competition which will be held in May.

The Euro Challenge is a program of the Delegation of the European Union in Washington, D.C. and is organized by W!SE (Working In Support of Education). For the 2021 competition, student teams are asked to make 15-minute presentations during which they are required to 1) describe the current economic situation in the Euro area; 2) select one economic-related challenge confronting the euro area as a whole and to choose one of the 19 member countries of the area to illustrate that challenge; and 3) recommend a policy for addressing the challenge.

Ms. Brennan said, “On April 1, the Euro Challenge team gave a presentation focusing on the economic health of the European Union during the COVID pandemic and the Union’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions.”

“I was so impressed by the quality of the team’s research on a very difficult topic – the European Union’s commitment to transitioning to climate neutrality by 2050,” she added. “It required them not only to become experts in economics, but also in clean energy. I don’t think any of them realized how much they would learn in two short months about methane emissions, carbon footprints, and renewable energy!”
The students on this year’s Euro Challenge team include: Lillian Del Rossi '24, Victoria Fekete '24, Grace Glynn '23, Charlotte Jotz '24, Akshaya Karanam '24, Rebecca Ryan '23, and Mary Clare Schleck '23.
Victoria said, “We’ve spent many long hours as a team and as individuals to work towards a presentation that we are proud of, and I am so happy that we get this opportunity to keep competing in a semifinal round. Even though we have to meet and compete virtually, I think we are a strong team, and I’m so proud of everybody!”

Charlotte added, “Euro Challenge has definitely been a challenge, but it’s also been really fun. It’s great working with Ms. Brennan and the rest of the team.”

“Participating in Euro Challenge has allowed me to gain valuable research skills, as well as teamwork skills that I can apply academically and in other aspects of my life,” said Lillian.

“We are all very grateful that our hard work and dedication over the past few weeks helped us advance to the next round of the Euro Challenge competition,” said Mary Clare.

"Moving on to semifinals makes me feel so proud of our team for all we have accomplished, and all the hard work we have each put in the past months of research and practice,” said Rebecca. “Each person works so much to learn and contribute. I feel especially thankful to Ms. Brennan who is a great coach and mentor for us. I am beyond grateful to be part of this team for this and how far we have come. It has been a rewarding learning experience for all of us and expanding our knowledge of the economy globally. "
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