The Model United Nations club traveled to the Arkansas Model United Nations conference at the University of Central Arkansas representing the nation of Kazakhstan on Nov. 16. Club members participated in committees focusing on the different topics that the United Nations typically handle while also working with other countries to reach a compromise on real-world issues.

“I get to interact with people [and hear] their different positions more because they have a reason to bring them up, discuss them and compare them with other things,” junior Logan Revalee said. “It helps me to learn how to effectively create solutions with multiple people involved.”

Participation in this conference allows students to collaborate with others in hopes of compromising and developing a general consensus while building on the importance of voicing one’s opinion in a constructive manner.

“Model UN conferences have forced me to present my ideas, so that’s really helped with my public speaking skills,” senior Hannah Klein said. “It’s also strengthened my ability to work with other people, because everyone has to cooperate to come up with a resolution.”

This was the organization’s first official conference for the school year, and for a few members, this was their first conference ever.

“My experience at my first Model UN conference was very fun. It’s nice to see so many people with different backgrounds cooperating to get something done. I would hope to participate in the environmental committee again,” freshman Doug Kyles said. “The size isn’t intimidating, and it’s easy to voice your opinions. I think that we generally did well at this conference. I feel we all know what to expect now and that next time we can be even more prepared.”

Over the years, the club has grown and become more involved internally and externally since its founding in January 2017. The organization has grown to be more diverse in its members and active in the Model United Nations community.

“Well, [the club has become] a lot more active in conferences. We started off with one last year. Now, we’re going to two or three this year, and we’ve gained more membership,” senior Davis Miller said. “I think Model UN is going to grow and that it will attract a lot of interest from politically minded people or people with an interest in world politics and current events. I think that those people will find a new passion [in Model UN].”