In a full committee room, representatives are debating international crises, making proposals and policies, and negotiating alliances. This scene sounds like one from the United Nations Headquarters, but it actually comes from Model United Nations conferences that college students attend to imitate the duties of global diplomacy.
Model United Nations (Model UN or MUN), gives students the chance to embody the role of diplomats representing committees within the United Nations. Delegates investigate global or crisis issues, talk about policy, and work to create solutions regarding international challenges. The program reaches hundreds of thousands of young delegates each year, focusing on building skills in research, negotiation, and public speaking.
At Rollins College, students in Model United Nations are embracing this opportunity by representing Rollins in regional conferences and establishing a presence in the collegiate Model UN circuit. The Model United Nations club has developed into a place where knowledge on diplomacy and international affairs from the classroom can translate into real policy discussions for students.
“The club really started from Dr. Gunter’s Model United Nations course,” said club president Kate Puharich (‘27). “A few of us enjoyed the experience so much that we wanted a way to continue attending conferences.”
The club quickly began gaining traction within the Rollins community and began to steadily grow. “The response from students was overwhelmingly positive,” Puharich said. “Many people said they had been hoping Rollins would start a Model UN team.”
Leadership within the club has been an important factor in the success of Model UN since its establishment. “Our Vice President, Claire Classon, consistently goes above and beyond, and our Logistics Director, Zoya, makes sure everything actually happens behind the scenes,” Puharich said.
The Rollins delegates participated in two conferences this academic year: SunMUN, hosted in Orlando, and TechMUN, in Georgia. In these conferences, students from different institutions from all over the country are brought together for several days of policy negotiation and debate.
“Those conferences were invaluable,” Puharich said. “As a new club, we were still figuring out whether building a competitive team was realistic. Attending SUNMUN and then TECHMUN showed us that it genuinely was.”
The Rollins team brought back home two individual awards: President Kate Puharich for verbal commemoration and Zoya Bajwa with an honorable mention at TechMUN, acknowledging their research, performance during the conference session, and diplomacy. As Model UN continues to grow, the leaders within the organization hope to make it an impactful part of Rollins’ campus life.
“Our vision has remained the same from the beginning: to create an inclusive space where any Rollins student interested in diplomacy, global issues, or debate can get involved,” Puharich said.
For those who are hesitant about joining the club, Puharich encourages them to test the waters.
“Just try it,” she said. “Many of our members had never done Model UN before joining the club. There are committees on everything from economics and public health to historical crises and niche topics, so there’s truly something for everyone.”
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