By Isabella Childs Michael ’25, Anthropology
Walking through the UNFCCC exhibits on Day 2 felt like stepping into a college residential building at the start of the school year, with all the rooms exposed. Rows of identical booths, many waiting to be personalized, laid before me. Each exhibit was furnished with two chairs, a table, lockable cabinets, and a television screen. Unlike the ancient brick aesthetic of college dorms, the exhibit’s design felt more Scandinavian.
The exhibits at COP conferences are spaces where organizations showcase their climate-related initiatives. Connected through the YEAH network (Youth Environmental Alliance in Higher Education), Colorado College contributed to the Vanderbilt University and Appalachian State University exhibit. I was tasked with delivering and setting up banners that had made the long journey to Baku. I unzipped the black fabric case holding the first of the mysterious banners, approaching the endeavor like I did lofting my dorm bed in my first year—alone and without instructions. The thought of a college student setting up a booth at the United Nations Climate Change Summit made me chuckle.
I unrolled the banner from its base, and the sheet snapped back. Clearly, I needed something to hold it up. I wandered over to another exhibit that had already moved in. Posters lined the walls, a cover slide displayed on the television screen, and tall banners stood at the front of the exhibit. I inspect one banner and spot the solution: a tent-pole-like contraption. Back at my station, I slotted one end of the pole into the base and stretched the banner skyward, securing the top. I pinned up a couple of posters, and the empty dorm-like room graduated to an exhibit!
As I unzipped the second banner case, a young man approached. He was carrying a large camera. Smiling, he showed me photos he’d taken of me setting up. He introduced himself as a photographer with over five years of experience, pointing to the “Photographer” label on the back of his jacket. The man was an official COP29 photographer. He was curious about my background and what brought me to the conference. Soon after, Firana, a first-year university student and COP29 volunteer from Azerbaijan, stopped by. She asked about my story and shared hers in return. She had spent a year as an exchange student in Memphis, Tennessee, and spoke of her sense of home there. Firana also told me about the reverse culture shock she experienced upon returning home.
These were the first of many energetic interactions I observed that day. Like the start of college, the conference buzzed with curiosity, excitement, and possibility.
