From November 22nd to 25th, Roanoke College students Adrian Gillem ’15, Hunter Neary ’18, Bridget Rose ’17, Wes Knowles ’17, Victoria Arthur ’18, and exchange student Alessandra Sella represented Gabon at the American Model United Nations Conference in Chicago. This excellent group of students spent four days negotiating, amending, presenting, and competing.
The most challenging aspect of the Model UN Conference that Adrian Gillem identified was the simultaneous fast-paced nature of the process and the endless amount of time it took to get one resolution passed. Many students felt frustrated with this, and others felt their country was not being represented fairly and with enough voice. These issues gave the students a taste of what real UN sessions were like. But, it wasn’t all work. The conference held a “Delegate’s Dance” on the evening of the final session to give the students a small breather, which the RC delegation enjoyed immensely.
Our students learned first-hand how difficult it is to fight to make their country’s voice heard. However, some delegates at the conference nominated Gabon for a ‘Best Delegate’ Award. Although Gabon did not win, it showed that hard work, determination, and a bit of luck nearly clinched an award for the RC delegation. Students of this delegation believe that it is time to show the true abilities of Roanoke College’s Model UN team. They said that, through persistence and hard work, the RC delegation is bound to secure more awards, more recognition, and more interest among RC students.
For more information about joining RC Model UN, please contact Wes Knowles at waknowles@mail.roanoke.edu.
