The Model United Nations Club attended the Carthage College conference in November to compete. At these conferences, students represent countries and debate real world issues like climate change and global health. The club is now preparing for their next conference at University of Wisconsin – Madison on March 19.
Senior Leo Gamboa, talked about his experience, explaining that a big part of competition is standing out.
“Just make sure to differentiate your ideas from competing blocs because it can get tedious if many blocs are coming up with the same ideas,” Gamboa said.
He also mentions that success isn’t just about having the best idea, but getting others to agree.
“A skill I gained is being able to compromise or add other people’s ideas to my resolution so that the general assembly is more agreeable to it,” Gamboa said.
For anyone nervous about public speaking, Gamboa had some reassurance. The club is a great place to grow those skills, but strong research and negotiation are just as important
For senior Zayd Cartagena, the Carthage conference was a first time experience of how Model UN really works. His biggest takeaway was learning the formal rules of debate.
“I learned fast that being able to speak up using parliamentary procedure is normalized in debate,” Cartagena said.
A major challenge he came across was starting his research from scratch.
“I didn’t quite know how to write a position paper and where to look for the resources so I had to do a lot of research,” he said.
Cartagena recommends Model UN for anyone interested in government or law, but also for those just looking to meet new people.
Senior Eva Sula focuses on building her confidence at conferences.
“The most useful takeaway is to be confident in yourself and not care what people think,” Sula said. Also mentioning that public speaking is a required part of the fun. Skills like being creative and problem solving apply to everyday life.
For the Model United Nations club, getting out of your comfort zone is just as important as politics or debate, if you’re interested in joining please contact advisor Ben Hubing.
