Written by Daniel Farrell, MPA-MIA candidate, December 2025
I recently returned from Baku, Azerbaijan, where the annual United Nations Conference of Parties (COP) concluded after two weeks of intense climate negotiations. This was COP29—the twenty-ninth meeting of what is often the largest international policy conference of any given year. The COP is administered by the United Nations Framework for the Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the leading body for climate science, policy, and action. Since 2015, the COP has largely been held in an effort to meet the demands of the Paris Agreement, which was adopted at COP21 in Paris and outlines the need for swift climate action from all members who have signed the Paris Agreement—almost every single country on the planet.
I attended as an IU Student Delegate, alongside fifteen outstanding fellow students. Each of us focused on our research areas during the conference. I researched nuclear energy policy concerning climate change, while my colleagues explored a host of fascinating topics. From energy policy and climate finance to vernacular architecture and mangroves, we covered a lot of ground and learned just as much.
Students from our delegation hold a diverse set of disciplinary backgrounds. In my case, I am pursuing a dual Master of Public Affairs-Master of International Affairs degree program. The MPA-MIA is a comprehensive degree program that allows students to dive into both domestic and international policy. I chose to enroll in the MPA-MIA program because I am deeply invested in the machinery that makes governments, private industry, and the nonprofit sector work. In particular, I am passionate about climate change, international development, and public management.
Being a native Hoosier, Indiana University is a cornerstone of our culture. My brother attended IU before me, for instance. The university is ubiquitous to us Hoosiers, and for that reason, many don’t anticipate Bloomington to be a hub of access to global experiences. However, that could not be further from the truth! IU offers a myriad of international experiences that undergraduates and graduate students alike can pair with rigorous classwork. As an O’Neill student, I have also served as an International Development Fellow, consulted for an Indian nonprofit specializing in childhood waste management education, and worked with the U.S. Department of State to research the African Growth and Opportunity Act—and that doesn’t even include my trip to Baku! In this way, Indiana manages to not just be the Crossroads of America, but the crossroads of the globe, too.
We are very privileged to have access to some outstanding and highly pedigreed professors—like Dr. Jessica O’Reilly, who took us to Baku—but we are equally privileged to have access to so many real-world opportunities like the COP. It was a remarkable experience for anyone invested in the health of the planet. While tense negotiations were ongoing, countries and organizations hosted impressive pavilions dedicated to policy discussions and advocacy. Within the span of a few hours, I was able to shake hands with Governor Jay Inslee of Washington, witness a sanctioned climate protest held by Indigenous groups, and sit in on a highly technocratic panel about small modular nuclear reactor technology. It is a thrilling, busy experience—a playground for climate nerds.
Returning to Bloomington from Baku, I feel confident that I am not only entering the right professional field for me but that I have been given the skills and know-how to succeed in my career. I also recognize that, while not every goal might be met at these conferences, they are still a necessity for us to make positive changes in the world. In the future, I hope to perhaps return to the COP—maybe as a researcher, an activist, or a party member. It is comforting to know that there is a plethora of options ahead of me.
I’d like to close out by extending a sincere thank-you to Kelly Johnson, the generous donor who provided the funding for myself and the other four O’Neill graduate students. It is philanthropy like this that allows students like us to have a seat at the table at important events like COP29. We are quite grateful.
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