By Henry Thompson
In today’s world, there is no shortage of problems and crises that require attention. This is no problem, however, for Lovett’s Model United Nations team (often referred to as Model UN or MUN), as they plunge headfirst into some of the most complex and divisive issues facing the world today. From environmental concerns to international disputes and the possibility of a large meteor impact, there seems to be no limit to the problems Lovett’s team is willing to face.
For those participating in a Model UN conference (known as delegates), the work often begins weeks before the actual event, when they are assigned the country they will represent. Heavy research then ensues, followed by the writing of an essay known as a position paper. As freshman participant Ameen Ahmed explained, this is “the paper you write on your country’s stance on the topics that you get, and it explains your country’s background history, their economic status, and political status.” This paper is then submitted to the committee leaders as a prerequisite for any awards that may be given at the end of the conference.
Once the conference actually begins, the delegates are sent to their respective committees where, for the next few days, they will make speeches, form blocs with other countries, and work together to write and pass a resolution and solve their unique issue at hand to the best of their abilities, all with intermittent breaks for lunch and rest, of course.
As you might imagine, many of those currently participating in MUN didn’t join for the joy of writing more essays but for the academic and social opportunities the club presents.
Junior Ava Tahmasebi has participated in Model UN for the past two years. “My favorite part of Model UN has probably been making new friends and meeting a bunch of new people,” she said, a sentiment echoed by many other members of the team that I interviewed. They enjoy the unique discussion topics that often come up.
From a more academic standpoint, Lovett students opt to join MUN with the goal of expanding their knowledge as well as their research and diplomatic skills, the most popular of which seems to be public speaking. For Freshman Ariana Bandyopadhyay, these were actually some of the main factors for why she and others joined Model UN, as not only does it “help you learn so many things about the world,” but it also “helps you with your speaking skills.”
A few students also emphasized the benefit the club provides on college applications. There are even opportunities for easy campus tours at hosting schools.
Regardless of their motivations, over fifty different students have signed up for a conference or club meetings this year. While many are returning members, it is evident that Lovett’s MUN team has grown significantly over the past two years. As one of the faculty chaperones, Ms. Turner explained, “We’ve gotten to grow and now we’re huge. Now we’ve had more students apply than ever before.”
Junior Maiya Tomlin, one of Lovett’s Model UN secretaries, described her experience from her freshman year at their first true conference. “None of us had ever done anything like it,” she told me. “And we got there and I remember Knox texted our group chat and he just said, ‘We’re so cooked.’”
Now, despite the fact that Lovett has only attended one conference so far this year, the team has already come away with a verbal commendation award for freshman Humza Farid.
The team hopes to carry this momentum forward into their upcoming conference next week at Georgia State University with the help of Dr. and Ms. Turner and several juniors and seniors as student leaders.
If any part of Model United Nations piques your interest, I highly recommend you reach out to either of the faculty sponsors or to Zaynab Farid and Mitchell Deutsch. Everyone I interviewed unanimously agreed on how much they enjoy participating.
Perhaps at the heart of the experience is the opportunity to practice empathy. As Dr. Turner said, “Students step outside their normal selves and put themselves in the shoes of somebody in some different way.”
