News Post

Last Friday, the fourth floor of Founders Hall turned into a "geopolitical battleground" for a Model UN conference with students from St. Anselm's Abbey, said Model UN moderator Dr. Luke O'Connell. Student leaders helped plan and run the conference in order to give new members the opportunity to participate, guided by upperclassmen. 

Students were assigned a country and asked to play president, prime minister, or dictator to represent that country's interests with respect to the ongoing crisis in Russia and Ukraine. Students were divided into two spaces as they drafted resolutions, spoke on behalf of NATO, and authored threats and propaganda in hopes of resolving the conflict.

Koki D. '29 took on the role of president of Serbia. A newcomer to Model UN, she shared, "This experience has shown me how much effort it takes to solve a crisis effectively and efficiently. I never realized how difficult it is for world leaders to agree on a solution to their problems." Koki noted that even in their separate rooms, aligned in support for one country, there were disagreements to be solved. 

The conference was intended to be a small-scale representation of the larger Model UN conferences students attend throughout the year; club leader Sofia R. '26 shared that those experiences can be overwhelming for novice members, given the number of delegates and a co-ed setting often dominated by male participants.

"While Visitation fosters an incredibly empowering environment for young women, the co-ed nature of Model UN conferences does not always do the same," said Sofia. "I saw it as a great opportunity for our freshmen to learn to work with students from other schools, and I was very proud to see how well they collaborated with the St. Anselm's students."

"The all-girl community at Visitation has taught me to be a leader without fear," said Koki. "At a co-ed school, the boys usually get many leadership roles, and they sometimes try to make girls feel like they are not as important as they are. Visitation gives me the opportunity to speak up with more confidence than ever. In this experience, I felt much more bold than I would have a few months ago."

The gathering marked the first time in recent history that Visitation's Model UN had hosted a conference on campus. O'Connell praised his club leaders for their work to plan the conference, research countries and positions, and provide well-researched guides. He said, "Our leadership rose to the occasion at every step to demand more from the new members."

Sofia said, "I felt that the students made so much progress even during the conference, and I am excited to see how they take these skills to larger conferences in the future. I hope they feel more comfortable with the flow of the committee and that they are excited for the awards they will undoubtedly win at other conferences!"

O'Connell noted that Visitation delegates received top awards and produced notable performances. "As a training conference, I couldn't have asked for more. The varsity members of Model UN ran an event that was on time, educated the younger members, and provided a fun Friday night," he said. "That leadership team will now compete at McLean's MUN Conference with a clear perspective on what it takes to win. Truly, I could not be prouder of the manner in which our students are competing this year."