Students who represent Hotchkiss at the 46th Yale Model United Nations will receive the chance to simulate shaping the world through diplomacy. The contest is being held from January 23-26 at Yale University.
Model UN (MUN) is a simulation of the United Nations’ General Assembly, in which students take on the roles of ambassadors and act as delegates of various countries debating different international issues. MUN conferences first began in the 1950s as a way to allow students to learn about international relations and diplomacy and give them the opportunity to improve their research ability, public speaking, and teamwork skills, effectively molding the leaders of tomorrow.
The Hotchkiss MUN team is coached by Mr. David Conti, instructor in classics, and Dr. Thomas Fisher, instructor in philosophy, religion, and history, as well as captains David Vega ’20 and Alex McLane ’20.
At Yale, students will represent various countries or international committees to address pertinent issues ranging from environmental sustainability to immigration. Both team and individual awards will be handed out at the end of the four-day competition.
The Hotchkiss MUN team, consisting of 20 students, was selected after a rigorous application process. Approximately half of the current members are returners from last year; many are members of the Speech and Debate club, while others are entirely new to public speaking and debate. The competitive application process took place in October, and members began to prepare for the Yale conference shortly afterwards.
In order to prepare, the team has been reviewing MUN procedure, planning strategies, writing resolutions, and debating with one another. Furthermore, each team member has written a position paper detailing their country’s stance on the global issues covered in the conference.
The team, which expects to compete for awards at the conference, is confident, yet also cautious at the same time. The team is also excited to spend four days at a prestigious university. McLane said, “Hotchkiss has historically enjoyed a lot of success at Yale MUN, so hopefully we can continue that trend. We also look forward to spending a weekend on the Yale campus in New Haven, which is always fun.”
The team left for the conference this morning.