by Hope Ferris, ’18

On an unseasonably warm weekend in February, the CA Model UN club attended its second ever conference, and this time around, it was no small endeavor: 16 members attended the Duke Model UN conference in downtown Durham, and two attended UNC’s conference the next weekend. As a mix of upperclassmen, underclassmen, new, and returning club members, we represented countries ranging from Pakistan to Canada in committees ranging from the World Health Organization to the Committee on Disarmament and International Security. After a month of preparation, logistical struggles, and only one year of experience for a few members, our delegates performed spectacularly:

Jonathan Segal and Rachel May – best speaker in WHO (World Health Organization)

Chelsea Fang and Tori Borlase- honorable mention in WHO

Addie Esposito + Adithi Sundaram– best position paper in SOCHUM (Social, Cultural, and Humanitarian Committee)

But the best part about the conference wasn’t the competition – between the social and collaborative nature of committee meetings (which last three hours each over four days!) and the free time we had for meals, we had the chance to bond with club members and delegates from all over the country:

“Model UN was a fun and educational experience. I met a lot of great people and made a lot of new friends and I would definitely do it again. Two thumbs up!” – Reese Geyer

“The most exciting part was having the chance to explore a city I’d never been to, meet many interesting people from all over the country, and spend a weekend with my friends” – Chelsea Fang

 

I am so proud of all of my club members for their performance at DUMUNC and MUNCH, and I hope we can attend more conferences next year!