Wheaton College’s Model United Nations team attended the Harvard National Model U.N. Conference from Feb. 15-18, joining hundreds of delegates from around the world to collaborate on innovative ideas targeting major global issues affecting people in the modern world.

This was a unique opportunity for a small school like Wheaton. The conference raised a total of $4,183 through volunteer donations from participants for The Miracle Foundation, which aims to empower orphaned children around the world.

The Wheaton Model U.N. team represented the Holy See (the universal government of the Catholic Church) and the developing country of Senegal in a number of committees, such as the Special Political and Decolonization Committee, the Legal Committee, the Economic and Financial Committee and the Disarmament and International Security Committee.

Treasurer of the Model U.N. club Joe Perez ’20 represented the Holy See in the Disarmament and International Security Committee. “Our topic was countering terrorist networks,” said Perez. “Everyone worked so hard to put forward a number of resolutions, and at the end everyone in the committee came together to pass a resolution for the first time in six years!”

Charged with representing Senegal in the Special Political and Decolonization Committee, Casey Smith ’20 said, “This has been the most hectic and stressful weekend of my life but it has also been a great experience to learn how to work with sovereignty and respect the rights of other nations.” Smith also mentioned that she learned how to properly address a government even when there is none to address.

Amber Wright ’20 represented the country of Senegal in the Legal Committee as she defended her outstanding working paper. Describing her experiences, Wright said, “Harvard is an intense conference, so having the opportunity to defend the paper was very unique and valuable to gain practice in a situation similar to the real Model U.N. It was meaningful to speak about subjects that are relevant on a global scale.”

Overall, the Model U.N. team represented Wheaton with pride and passion. Each of the members put in numerous hours of preparation for the conference and worked hard to stay focused during each of their committee sessions. The team is ready and eager to grasp similar opportunities in the future.