2023-2024

Baylor Students are “Outstanding” at NMUN-DC

On November 9-12, sixteen members of Baylor’s Model United Nations Team traveled to Washington, D.C. for the National Model United Nations Conference, which brought together more than 900 college students from five continents for a fast-paced simulation of eight United Nations Committees. Baylor’s team represented Japan in all eight of the conference committees, researching and drafting resolutions alongside students from universities around the world to address topics related to international security, human rights, and development. The topics chosen for focused debate at conference were:

• The Role of Information and Communication Technologies, and Cybersecurity in the Illicit Trade of Arms (General Assembly First),
• The Preservation of Culture and Intangible Cultural Heritage (General Assembly Third),
• Building Tools for Resilience to Protect the World’s Oceans (United Nations Environment Assembly),
• Urbanization and a Growing Human Population (Commission on Population and Development),
• Reviewing the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (Economic and Social Council),
• Implementing the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-2031 (Food and Agriculture Organization),
• Building Resilience to Crises and Socks (United Nations Development Programme); and
• Peace and Security in Eastern Europe and the Caucuses (Security Council).

As a result of their work at the conference, the students on Baylor’s team were named an overall Outstanding Delegation by conference staff, which is the highest team award given at Model UN conferences and reflects the work the team did across all eight committees while at conference. In addition to this team award, nearly every member of Baylor’s team received individual recognition with some delegates receiving multiple awards. The team received Outstanding Position Paper Awards in four out of the eight committees for research submitted in advance of the conference and received Outstanding Delegation Awards in six out of the eight committees in which it participated, which are peer-nominated awards based on work done at conference. This breaks a previous team record of 5 total of Outstanding Delegation Awards, which the team earned at both the 2023 and 2019 NMUN-NY conferences.

The full list of award winners is provided below, but the true reward of any Model UN conference is the educational and professional experience afforded by simulation as well as the research completed in advance to prepare for the intense schedule of conference events. Senior Political Science Major and December 2023 graduate Jesse Drapela shared:

I was able to work with students from all over the world who share a passion for diplomacy, research, and consensus building. I was able to practice public speaking and writing in a professional setting and get valuable feedback. I gained invaluable skills in NMUN that will be useful in my post grad plans after Baylor.

Sophomore Physics Major Brianna Uptain, echoed this enthusiasm, writing about the conference, which was her first as a team member:

The unique parameters of Model UN create situations where nearly a thousand young people gather to practice a high level of professionalism and interpersonal skills. It can get wild in session, but it ultimately facilitates a beautiful thing – the next generation cumulatively acknowledging their rule as a member of the global community and understanding that it matters.

This conference caps an exciting calendar year for Baylor’s Model UN team and kicks off an academic year that will see the team embark on new experiences for the National Model United Nations Conference in New York. In March, 15 Baylor students will partner with 9 students from Japan Model United Nations as a co-delegation. Together Baylor MUN and Japan MUN will represent France in 12 committees. Baylor MUN and Japan MUN began planning for the conference in the summer of 2023 and have been working together via Zoom since August. The teams will continue collaborating through Zoom until March, when the Japan MUN team will travel to Waco to spend time visiting Baylor and working with our team before the two groups travel together to New York.

Baylor’s Model UN Team is grateful for the support it receives from the Department of Political Science and the College of Arts and Sciences, which makes attendance at these conferences possible. For more information about our team, follow us on Instagram (baylormodelun) or Facebook (Baylor Model United Nations).

Individual Award Winners

Outstanding Position Paper Award Winners

GA 3: Alani Burke (Senior, International Studies), Jesse Drapela (Senior, Political Science), and Diego Hernandez (Senior, International Studies)

CPD: Krishna Nair (Senior, Political Science), Katie Turner (Freshman, International Studies), Bri Uptain (Sophomore, Physics), and Darcey Warne (Junior, University Scholar)

UNDP: Devon Bolton (Junior, International Studies) and Lilia Kasten (Sophomore, Business Fellows)

UNEA: Lead Authors: Paige Feild (Junior, Political Science) and Isabella Zarate (Co-Head Delegate, Junior, International Studies & Environmental Studies); Contributing Authors: Ainsley Peterson (Junior, Environmental Studies & Political Science), Madeline Owens (Sophomore, Political Science), Noah Valsecchi (Sophomore, Political Science)

Students Who Provided Editorial Assistance to Winning Papers:

The team is also grateful to the following club members who provided editorial assistance during the drafting process:

Izzy De La Hoz Estrada (Senior, Math)

Aubrey Gilliam (Senior, University Scholar)

Omar Islam (Senior, Economics & Political Science)

Cathleen Scura (MA in American Studies)

Outstanding Delegates in Committee

GA 3: Alani Burke (Senior, International Studies) and Jesse Drapela (Senior, Political Science)

CPD: Katie Turner (Freshman, International Studies) and Darcey Warne (Junior, University Scholar)

ECOSOC: Tori Jones (Co-Assistant Head Delegate, Junior, International Studies) and Grayson Shirey (PR Chair, Junior, International Studies & French)

FAO: Bradon Lazarov (Junior, Health Science Studies) and Bri Uptain (Sophomore, Physics)

UNDP: Devon Bolton (Junior, International Studies) and Lilia Kasten (Sophomore, Business Fellows)

Security Council: Krish Kothari (Co-Head Delegate, Senior, Political Science) and Isabella Zarate (Co-Head Delegate, Junior, International Studies & Environmental Studies)

Baylor’s Model United Nations Team Named Outstanding Delegation along with Japan MUN partners and Breaks Team Record for Total Position Paper Awards at the 2024 NMUN-NY Conference

For the first time in team history, Baylor Model United Nations teamed up with another program, Japan Model United Nations, to participate as a joint delegation at the National Model United Nations New York Conference. The joint BU MUN and Japan MUN team was named an Outstanding Delegation, the highest team award given at Model UN conferences.

From March 23-29, 2024 fifteen Members of Baylor’s Model United Nations Team traveled to New York, joining ten members of the Japan Model United Nations team, jointly representing France in twelve committees that simulated the work of the contemporary United Nations. Approximately 2,700 university students from nearly 50 countries participated in this week of the conference, researching and negotiating global issues related to peace, security, environmental sustainability, and human rights. In the twelve committees in which the joint BU MUN and Japan MUN team participated, delegates applied their research completed in advance of the conference to negotiate and draft resolutions on the following topics:

• Measures to protect children and young people from drug abuse (CND),
• Combating food insecurity and the risk of famine (ECOSOC),
• Relationship between disarmament and development (GA 1),
• Eradicating rural poverty to implement the 20230 Agenda for Sustainable Development (GA 2),
• Promotion and protection of the rights of children in conflict (GA 3),
• Human rights of indigenous peoples (HRC),
• Maintaining and strengthening emergency preparedness and response (IAEA),
• United Nations Integrated Strategy for the Sahel (PBC),
• The situation in Sudan and South Sudan (SC),
• Implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (UNEA),
• Promoting restitution or the return of cultural property to the country of origin (UNESCO), and
• Protecting displaced and refugee children (UNHCR).

The joint BU MUN and Japan MUN team initiated preparations for the conference in summer 2023 and commenced research late in the fall 2023 semester, meeting by Zoom during the fall and early spring semester this academic year to collaborate on position papers, which were due to the conference in early March. The result of this diligent work over multiple months was the joint BU MUN and Japan MUN team received Outstanding Position Paper Awards in six of the nine committees in which the team partnered. The BU team received additional paper awards in two of the three committees the team participated in on its own, for a total of eight Outstanding Position Paper Awards – a BU team record. The complete list of position paper award authors is provided below.

Research preparation is only one piece of team training. Model UN teams must also be knowledgeable about parliamentary procedure rules, resolution structure, and effective teamwork strategy in order to succeed at conference. To assist with preparation, members of the Japan MUN team traveled to Waco, TX to meet with the BU team in mid-March in advance of both teams’ travel to New York for the conference. For more information about team preparation and the BU MUN + Japan MUN collaboration, check out the College of Arts and Sciences “Cart Chronicles” series, which features footage of the joint training simulations as well as interviews with the head delegates of both the Baylor and Japan MUN teams.

Another result of the months of hard work the Baylor MUN and Japan MUN teams devoted to preparing for the conference was being named an overall  Outstanding Delegation by conference staff, which is the highest team award bestowed by the conference. In addition, three joint BU MUN and Japan MUN partners were named Outstanding Delegations in Committee and an additional BU MUN partner pair was named Outstanding Delegation in Committee, for a total of four Outstanding Delegations in Committee, an individual, peer-nominated award. (With four Outstanding Delegation in Committee awards, the team fell just short of tying its record for the overall individual Outstanding Delegation in Committee Awards, which is five awards; the team received this number of awards twice -in both 2019 and 2023.)  

While the BU team has received the Outstanding Delegation team award for six consecutive NMUN-NY conferences, never before has the team partnered with another team. Partnering with another school, and specifically a school from another country made preparation both more challenging and more rewarding for both teams. 

As Baylor Model UN Head Delegate, Krish Kothari (Senior, Political Science) shares:  Although this was my last conference, this was my favorite and most enriching NMUN New York yet. Representing France, a Permanent Five Member of the Security Council, allowed me to experience firsthand the intense negotiations that occur before any document gets released by the body and how the United Nations deals with crisis situations. Additionally,  working with our partners from Japan was a formative experience that I will treasure forever. Having to reconcile different culturally specific preparation styles with our own was challenging but also incredibly rewarding.

Krish and his partner Kaiei Maesaka (Sophia University) received both Outstanding Position Paper and Outstanding Delegation in Committee Awards for their work at conference.

Two additional BU MUN and Japan MUN partner pairs received both the Outstanding Paper and Delegation Award -- Tori Jones (Junior, International Studies) and Ichiko Ono (Tokyo University of Foreign Studies) for their work in UNHCR and Bri Uptain (Sophomore, Physics) and Juri Okuma (International Christian University) for their work in General Assembly First Committee. 

Ichiko writes: At the UNHCR committee, I learned what ‘inclusivity’ is. With the motto of not leaving anyone behind, France welcomed all delegates to the discussion and respected the topic not prioritized, which could make the debate more cooperative and productive! I really enjoyed our conference.

Bri similarly echoes Ichiko’s positive experience with the debates at conference: The conference gave me exposure to high-quality conversations undertaken by changemakers in our world today. Additionally, to see so many young people in the same place bringing their stories, their skills, and their innovations was really inspiring.

Two of Baylor’s new team members and Outstanding Delegates in General Assembly Third Committee, Michael Chung (Freshman, Political Science) and Tanvi Sud (Freshman, Neuroscience) added notes of encouragement especially meant for students who may be thinking about joining Model UN but who are either worried about public speaking or who may think that the program is only for Political Science or International Studies majors (it isn’t!).

Michael shares: On the first day of conference, I cannot lie that I was intimidated, being on a committee with 160 Member States. However, despite my anxieties, I quickly picked up valuable networking skills and got to meet some amazing people from all around the world! I cannot stress how amazing an experience my first NMUN conference was this year!

Tanvi emphasizes that MUN is for everyone, writing:  As a STEM student interested in international security, I am constantly introduced to new perspectives and interesting opportunities. I can say for certain that my time at NMUN-NY tops them all. During the conference, I learned how to be engaged in diplomatic negotiations, diffuse heated dialogue, and enter meaningful conversations with cultures far different from my own. Throughout my time in New York, I made lifelong friends from all over the globe and gained invaluable knowledge about the world of international relations and diplomacy.

What these students’ testimonies underscore is that the educational benefits of these conferences is far more valuable than the awards received, although the team is elated that its work was recognized by conference staff and peers in committee alike. 

Baylor’s Model United Nations team is grateful to the Department of Political Science and College of Arts & Science for their financial support that made participation in and travel to this conference as well as the Japan Mun partnership possible. While NMUN-NY is the team’s final conference of the 2023-2024 academic year, the team will begin preparations for NMUN-DC 2024 and NMUN-Galapagos 2024 later this month.

Position Paper Award Winners

Below is a list of all the class and club members who contributed to research, writing, and editing for the award-winning position papers. This award is given by conference staff. 

Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND)  (written by Baylor students): JT Greco (Senior, Political Science), Nathan Lee (Junior, Political Science), Katherine Squires (Senior, Professional Writing and Rhetoric), Noah Valsecchi (Sophomore, Political Science)

Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) (written by Baylor students) Manha Asrar (Freshman, International Studies), Gianna Bolla (Freshman, Political Science), Mesha Mittanasala (Freshman, University Scholar), Grayson Noles (Professional Writing and Rhetoric), Victoria Ogundipe (Freshman, International Studies), Maddie Owens (Sophomore, Political Science)

GA 1: Bri Uptain (Baylor Junior, Physics Major) and Juri Okuma (International Christian University)

GA 2: Darcey Warne (Baylor Junior, University Scholar) and Mizuki Hirabayashi (Waseda University)

Security Council: Krish Kothari (Baylor Senior, Political Science; Head Delegate) and Kaiei Maesaka (Sophia University) 

UNEA: Katie Turner (Baylor Freshman, International Studies) and Yuzuka Tamaoka (Tokyo University)

UNESCO: Lilia Kasten (Baylor Sophomore, Business Fellows) and Hina Hayashi (Tokyo University of Foreign Studies)

UNHCR: Tori Jones (Baylor Junior, International Studies; Assistant Head Delegate) and Ichiko Ono (Tokyo University of Foreign Studies)

Outstanding Delegations in Committee 

This is an individual award given by peers in committee at conference.

GA 1: Bri Uptain (Baylor Junior, Physics Major) and Juri Okuma (International Christian University)

GA 3: Michael Chung (Baylor Freshman, Political Science) and Tanvi Sud (Baylor Freshman, Neuroscience)

Security Council: Krish Kothari (Baylor Senior, Political Science; Head Delegate) and Kaiei Maesaka (Sophia University) 

UNHCR: Tori Jones (Baylor Junior, International Studies; Assistant Head Delegate) and Ichiko Ono (Tokyo University of Foreign Studies)