They enter the room. The door closes. The delegates take a seat as the chairpersons begin to announce the names of the Member States that they represent. They raise their placards in response.

Model United Nations members traveled to the University of Texas at Tyler on Dec. 4 to compete against other schools at the annual Model UN conference. Model UN students represented the Russian Federation, discussed country policies and found a resolution to a wide array of issues throughout four different committees.

“The conference was so much fun,” junior Davis Miller said. “I got to debate about nuclear dismantlement, so as Russia, we didn’t want a whole lot of that, and our resolution ended up getting approved. It was a very enjoyable way to spend the day.”

This was the first time Model UN students participated in a conference, and to their surprise, they received the award Outstanding Delegation, which is the equivalent of first place.

“I was extremely impressed with our team’s dominant performance,” junior Thomas Strutton said. “I anticipate the same will occur next year since the majority of our delegates are juniors.”

Model UN was created in December 2016 and is based on a collection of countries that resolve various global problems. The committees that Model UN students represented were the General Assembly, the United Nations Environmental Assembly, the United Nations Educational, Social, and Cultural Organization, and the Security Council.

“I was in UNESCO, and we debated education for sustainable development. I was a bit nervous because I had no idea how the other delegates were going to be,” sophomore Logan Revalee said. “After we started, we got to know the policies of the other countries and collaborated on a joint resolution, which was unanimously voted upon. Although we had some disagreements over policies, it was a good experience in regards to cooperation and adaptability, and it was a fun and memorable experience overall.”

Model UN students believe that the researching, debating and resolution-writing skills will help them throughout high school, college and beyond.

“Staying up to date politically is important to me, and researching for Model UN has kept me informed about current events, ” junior Hannah Klein said. “I like learning about the perspectives of different countries. Being required to debate has also helped me work toward becoming a better public speaker.”

Model UN students are hopeful that the experience that the conference has given them will help them in future conferences, and even possibly to host their own conference in the future.

“As for the location of our conferences, it is not a concern for me,” Strutton said. “I just want to continue having good results, and I think it would be an accomplishment for us if we hosted our own conference in the future.”