Villanova Public Administration Students Participate in National Wildfire Simulation

Sultan Aydin ’26 MPA and Keira Robinson ’27 CLAS put their public service skills to the test to help protect a fictional community while preparing for real-world impact.

When Villanova students Sultan Aydin ’26 MPA and Keira Robinson ’27 CLAS stepped into the fictional town of Westmount, they had a chance to utilize real-world and classroom experiences to showcase their public service skills in a high-stakes situation.

This year, the pair participated in the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA) Simulation Competition, open to students from colleges and universities around the world. Aydin and Robinson joined teams tasked with developing a wildfire mitigation plan using the Forio Wildfire Simulation, designed by a professor at the University of Colorado Boulder.

The experience brought together students from across disciplines to navigate competing priorities, limited resources and the human impact of policy decisions. Aydin, who currently works as an administrative specialist at a New Jersey nonprofit, was part of a team that finished fifth overall in the competition. Robinson was on a first-place team.

“The NASPAA Simulation Competition provided Sultan and Keira with an opportunity to apply classroom knowledge to a complex, real-world public policy challenge,” said Theordore Arapis, PhD, chair of the Department of Public Administration. “Their ability to collaborate, think critically, and navigate competing stakeholder interests reflects the kind of ethical and adaptable leadership that public service demands—and the values we strive to cultivate across Villanova’s undergraduate and graduate Public Administration programs.”

As part of the simulation, both students advocated for community members and balanced their concerns against the priorities of other stakeholders, including a mayor, forest ranger and environmental representative. They approached the competition with curiosity and a strong interest in how policy decisions affect communities.

“Public service members are often working against the clock to bring help to communities and are faced with many challenges included in the simulation such as missing information, opposition, push-back, bargaining, and more,” Aydin said. “Most importantly, the simulation showed me how intense and challenging environments can be. Public service is having those difficult conversations in rooms where everyone is expecting a different outcome, but I’ve realized it is also about respecting the individuals in your room and advocating for the community by relying on the facts and always exploring options that may not have been considered.”  

Together, the Villanova public administration students helped their teams navigate the situation, build consensus and ultimately deliver a strong mitigation plan. For both, the simulation reinforced the importance of collaboration, ethical leadership and adaptability—skills that will shape their future paths in public service.

About Villanova University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences: Since its founding in 1842, Villanova University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has been the heart of the Villanova learning experience, offering foundational courses for undergraduate students in every college of the University. Serving more than 4,500 undergraduate and graduate students, the College is committed to fortifying them with intellectual rigor, multidisciplinary knowledge, moral courage and a global perspective. The College has more than 40 academic departments and programs across the humanities, social sciences, and natural and physical sciences.