Thanks to a little computer imaging and some luck from a genie in a bottle, four Colonial Cabinet members will represent GW as student ambassadors in Morocco this spring break.

President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg selected Theresa Saccardi, Anjan Choudhury, Shari Cooperman and Seth Rosensweig to travel to Al-Akhawayn University in Morocco.

Trachtenberg asked members of the Colonial Cabinet to submit essays explaining why they should be sent to Morocco. Pairs of Cabinet members submitted proposals.

Initially, Trachtenberg said the University would only allow two students to go, but he later added two extra positions.

Seniors Choudhury and Rosensweig said they used the application to reflect on their time at GW and think about where they are going in the future.

This has been my life for the past four years, Choudhury said. I thought that this trip would be an amazing way to capture this experience.

The two students created a joint proposal describing the partnership they formed over the summer as Cabinet members and as friends, defining objectives for the trip if they were chosen. They described their efforts as a partnership with a purpose.

Choudhury and Rosensweig created pictures of the two making their mark on Moroccan history by superimposing images of themselves on Moroccan scenes.

Junior Saccardi and sophomore Cooperman approached the proposal a little differently.All I could think of when I thought of Morocco was Aladin and a magic carpet, Saccardi said.

They created a story in which they found a magic lamp in an abandoned room in a museum and a genie sent the two on a magic carpet ride to Morocco.

They presented their story to Trachtenberg on a scroll, placed in an authentic magic lamp from India.

Both students said they wanted their proposal to stand out in order to capture Trachtenberg’s attention.

Rosenweig said the trip offers a chance to learn more about diversity.

I see this trip as an opportunity to confirm our commitment to education and to learn to appreciate a new culture and a different way of education, he said.

Cooperman said she is excited about the opportunity.

We were representatives of the school as Colonial Cabinet members, and now we are going to take it further, and be representatives of the University abroad, she said.

Saccardi said she is looking forward to learning from her surroundings and applying her experience to her human services major.

Part of my major includes community service, Saccardi said. It will be interesting to see how the poverty there is addressed by the university.

Although most of the details are still being worked out, the trip is planned for a week sometime between winter and spring break.

Upon their return, the students said they hope to host a town hall meeting for the whole GW community to have the opportunity to relate their experience.

We are so appreciative for this amazing opportunity, Cooperman said. This is like a dream. We never thought that this would happen, and now we have been given this incredible trip to Morocco.