Model UN is an educational simulation of the United Nations, which helps students strengthen their skills in researching, writing, and public speaking. At Model UN conferences, students represent certain countries where they research and develop a richer understanding of world issues and politics while proposing solutions to the dilemmas faced by their assigned countries.

Recently, Model UN took a trip to ASU for a conference, competing for two days. Many of our students received accolades and awards for their achievements at the conference, including Varsity Best Diplomat Divya Natarajan. She explained that “At the ASU Model UN conference, we competed over two days with fifteen other schools in attendance. During the conference, delegates representing different nations wrote resolutions discussing the intricate policies that continue to shape our world. We then gave speeches from the point of view of our countries and wrote position papers regarding specific topics.” Each of the students is assigned a country, and Divya was assigned to the country of Switzerland in the Economic and Social Council. Here, “we debated food trade protectionism as well as mitigating exploitation in the developing world. Switzerland has a rather neutral stance on both of these issues; however, this allowed me to create unique solutions to these intricate international issues. Additionally, I was able to serve as a sponsor for our written resolutions. This allowed me to be at the forefront of the processes behind achieving global peace and stability.”

She originally joined Model UN because she “was interested in public policy and international relations. Model UN is a simulation of the United Nations where each delegate represents a different country. I have always been fascinated by the decisions that are made on diplomatic matters, and through Model UN, I have been able to engage in these debates and improve my knowledge on international efforts towards peace.” Her favorite part about being a member of Model UN is being able to learn more about different countries and attending the competitions. “Every year, I get the chance to serve on a different council as a different country and I absolutely love this. Each country has such a unique history and involvement in the UN, and I enjoy being able to bring this into the debate. Another aspect that I greatly enjoy are the competitions. Getting to bounce ideas off of other delegates and creating resolutions at the competition is something that I love to see.” When asked about one piece of advice she would give someone who is looking to join Model UN, she responded enthusiastically with “Being able to stay open-minded and informed about global issues. Model UN is an excellent experience where you can gain so many skills from research to collaboration and even public speaking. I would recommend everyone to participate even if it is by just learning more about international politics and relations.” Lastly, she expressed that she felt excited for herself, but “even more excited to see the novices receive an award at their first competition! We had been working diligently on competition prep and procedures for quite some time, so it was such a cool experience to see all of their hard work in action.” An outstanding job to everyone from Model UN for their hard work that paid off. Go Knights!