November 6, 2026

by Lauren Ferguson

A group of ambitious Ramapo College of New Jersey students spent days working on foreign affairs solutions side by side with future military and civilian leaders from around the world.

In October, five Roadrunners spent four days at the 77th Annual Student Conference on United States Affairs (SCUSA) hosted by the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

Ramapo has sent delegations of students to the conference since 2022, but “this is the first year that one of our students presented the winning memo,” said Professor of Political Science and International Studies Rebecca Root, PhD. Shane Nelson ‘27, a political science major from West Milford in Passaic County, NJ, was part of the team that presented the winning memo.

The other Roadrunners who participated in the conference were:

• Rachel Coffey ‘29, a cybersecurity and international studies major from Little Ferry in Bergen County, NJ;
• Jeffrey Lacouture ‘27, a political science major from Wanaque in Passaic County, NJ;
• Tyler O’Connor-Dilello ‘27 ‘28, a political science major from Ocean in Monmouth County, NJ, who is pursuing Ramapo’s 4+1 Master of Public Policy program; and
• Lily Stearns ‘27, an international business major from Paramus in Bergen County, NJ.

The premier multi-day conference brought together undergraduate students, cadets, scholars, and policy practitioners to collaborate on innovative solutions to U.S. foreign policy and global security challenges. The theme of the conference was Peace Through Strength: Power in the 21st Century.

“The student participants are each assigned to a working group focused on a key issue in U.S. foreign affairs, like sanctions, relations with European allies, or cybersecurity. The group collaborates to develop a memo offering ideas for strategies to help the U.S. navigate these challenges,”explained Root, who along with Ramapo College President Cindy Jebb, PhD, and Special Assistant to the President Dan White, prepped students for the conference.

The hands-on experience was eye-opening for students.

“This experience really opened my eyes to the process of policy development, and gave me the opportunity to work with like-minded individuals,” said Stearns, who plans to work in international development or policy in the future.

She said that “working with the cadets and other students from around the world was definitely my favorite part of the conference.”

Likewise, O’Connor-Dilello said a highlight of his experience was also working closely with West Point cadets and students from around the world. “It was truly amazing to work beside them. Over the four days we grew incredibly close to each other. I spent a lot of the time talking to the international cadets and students about shared interests and the differences in our schooling and upbringing,” O’Connor-Dilello said. “Despite our different backgrounds we all grew into incredibly close friends.”

His group was assigned to look into the topic of Alliance Power in Europe. “Our group worked tirelessly the first two days and our hard work paid off when our group was selected to be one of the three finalists selected to present in front of the entire conference,” he said.

O’Connor-Dilello said, “This experience has truly left a lasting impact in my life. the connections I have made I will cherish for the rest of my life and I truly could not be more grateful to have been given this opportunity.”

LaCouture, who plans to attend Officer Training School for the U.S. Air Force to become a pilot, said “it was an awesome experience to interact with such an inspirational group of future military and civilian leaders.”

Coffey, who plans to work in the field of human rights, said she would encourage others to attend SCUSA. “It offers unmatched hands-on experience in policy-making and the chance to build a supportive and inspiring network.”

“I learned an immense amount from my groupmates, gained insight into military life from my wonderful co-chairs, and got invaluable hands-on experience drafting a policy proposal with a team,” Coffey said. “Above all, connecting with such inspiring and knowledgeable people and learning from them has shifted my perspective on international relations and how I want to contribute to the industry in the future.”

SCUSA is a vital platform for building enduring civil-military relationships among the next generation of leaders in the military, government, and private sectors. SCUSA has been part of the U.S. Military Academy’s Department of Social Sciences program since 1949. Ramapo College has sent delegates to the conference over the past several years, with four delegates attending in 2025,  five delegates attending in 2024 and three delegates attending in 2023. In 2022, Ramapo sent two delegates and Professor of Political Science Jeremy Teigen, PhD served as a roundtable co-chair.