After months of hard work and preparation, Winthrop’s Model UN team’s efforts have paid off at the annual SRMUN regional conference that took place in Atlanta, Georgia, with our students who demonstrated excellent skills concerning speech giving, cooperation, and drafting of resolutions. This resulted in multiple awards for Winthrop University.
SRMUN is the ultimate arena of wits and strategy, bringing together not only local colleges and universities, but universities from across the entire country to battle and cooperate, with each school representing a country, and its interests that reflect the real-world politics of the United Nations. In this year’s SRMUN conference, Winthrop participated with another 33 colleges and universities around the country, some coming from as far as Colorado, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Texas. With 33 colleges and universities, each college had many different teams, each representing an individual nation and throughout multiple committees, resulting in hundreds of students coming together to represent their member state and their respective schools.
However, even with such a number of competitors, Winthrop’s collegiate Model United Nations team, under the advising of Dr. Jennifer Leigh Disney was able to shine in these few days of the conference, with eight of the 14 students on the team earning awards such as best delegations, distinguished delegations, and best position papers throughout the entire conference. “After having a storied past as Model UN award winners, we are thrilled to have this success so soon after Covid and in only my second year directing the program after the retirement of 25-year director Chris Van Aller,” said Dr. Disney, director of the Model United Nations program and chair of the political science department. The members of the Model UN team also felt very happy about their performance, such as one of the members who came back with a best delegate award, Stephen Magda: “I feel that our delegation and entire team performed so well because of a combination of us putting tremendous effort into preparing for SRMUN, which put our best foot forward toward success, we all have extensive experience with Model UN, meaning we have a command of the rules of procedure and how conferences generally go, and we are passionate about it, which drives us to perform the best we can”. Magda’s response was also reflected by another member of the team, Jeremiah Williams, who represented the member state of Yemen and was able to secure the best delegation award in the entire conference. “I think the reason we were able to perform so well was because we care about each other. We’re a unit”.
This year, our Model UN team was exceptionally strong, but looking back, team members like Jeremiah Williams and TJ Carbon look at our Model UN classrooms as the source for strengthening their skills. “I am a better public speaker and better negotiator because of Model UN. You win both on the individual and team level by being the most well-researched, most well-spoken, but especially most easy to collaborate with. I’m a much better team leader and player because of that”, stated Williams. “My time with Model UN has definitely strengthened my public speaking skills. While I’ve never really had an issue or a fear of public speaking, Model UN has definitely helped me master it”, continued Carbon.
The Model UN program is a very unique experience, allowing students to develop skills such as public speaking, communicating, performing, and strategizing, while also having fun and making many new friends in the process. “The biggest tip I could give to someone who is considering doing Model UN is simply; do it! It was without a doubt the best class I have ever taken and it was such a positive experience and impact on my education,” Carbon said. He continued saying,“Model UN is honestly the best experience I have ever had in my college career. I have learned so much in terms of current events, history, international relations, and the world around us, as well as practical skills that help me with my other classes and my future career, such as written and oral communication skills and critical thinking. On a more personal note, I have made many of my best friends in Model UN. There is a real friendly community that is built around teamwork and cooperation, so be open to it and be sure to embrace it. Also, give it your all. Doing the work, researching, writing speeches, and participating in debates all make the class so fun to the point that it doesn’t even feel like you’re in class. Ironically, the more effort you put into the class, the more fun it will be. Absolutely join Model UN”.
Since the end of the SRMUN conference, Dr. Disney and the veteran members of Winthrop’s Model UN look to the spring semester to welcome the new batch of students interested in this class, and giving them the great experience that they were able to have when entering this program. Along with the welcoming of new collegiate students, the Winthrop Model UN program also hosts a 3 day conference between local highschools, with many member states and hundreds of students visiting Winthrop for the competition. Winthrop’s Model UN program welcomes and encourages all students to take part in the Model UN program, and we hope to see you next spring! If you have any questions, concerns, or comments regarding Winthrop Model UN, reach out to Dr. Jennifer Leigh Disney at: disneyj@winthrop.edu
