Model U.N. visited a foreign embassy for the first time in club history, securing an honorable mention award at Washington D.C. conference
UMass Dartmouth’s Model U.N. team recently returned from its annual trip to the National Model United Nations conference in Washington, D.C. During this trip, 8 members of Model U.N. got the experience of a lifetime—meeting with the ambassador of Sierra Leone at the country’s embassy—which pushed them to achieve an Honorable Mention Award.
What was it like meeting with Sierra Leone's ambassador?
At this year’s conference, the club was chosen to represent the Republic of Sierra Leone. When political science major and Model U.N. co-captain Christopher Castro ‘26 found out, he contacted the ambassador of Sierra Leone, Sidique Abou-Bakarr Wai, and was able to secure a briefing at the embassy.
This was the club's first-ever meeting at an embassy.
"We had a briefing at the Embassy of the Republic of Sierra Leone in D.C., where we met their ambassadors and counselors, including the ministers of education, defense, economics, and culture. They gave us a run-down on Sierra Leone’s foreign policy and their stances on international politics,” said Castro, who also served as one of this trip’s head delegators.
"Getting a hands-on experience and learning their foreign policy, especially their stances on ongoing geopolitical situations, really helped us during the conference. We were very fortunate to have this briefing."
"The embassy’s insights allowed us to more accurately represent our delegation’s interests. It was especially rewarding getting to watch the new delegates come out of their shells and find a passion for diplomacy because of it,” said Vice President Jaqueline O’Hare, who is also a political science major and served as head delegator.
In fact, Castro and O’Hare noticed that after the embassy briefing, their delegates were more invested and driven during the conference itself.
"I think the meeting pushed us to the competitive level to achieve the Honorable Mention Award, which placed us at the top 20% of the schools that attended,” Castro noted.
What’s special about this conference?
UMassD’s Model U.N. club utilizes the trip to D.C. as an opportunity to introduce new members and first-year students to these conferences.
“We’re invested in developing an interest in international relations, especially for new members. I think that, now more than ever, it’s important to foster an appreciation for global partnerships,” said Daniel Flores ‘25, co-president of Model U.N. and political science major.
“When the students came back, all they could talk about was how much fun they had and how interested they were in international politics. That was wonderful to hear, and it’s incredible that they were so engaged after the embassy briefing that they won the award.”
Has participating in Model U.N. given you an idea about your professional career path?
The work that students do in Model U.N. serves as inspiration for their future careers, and gives them a better understanding of where they fit into the world of global diplomacy.
Over the summer, Flores worked for the Embassy of El Salvador, and Castro is hoping to do something similar for his career. Being a member of this organization has played a part in driving them to do so.
“We can see our work in Model U.N. having real impacts on the world. A few years ago, one of the resolutions that was passed at a conference we attended was sent to the United Nations and voted on. To me, it proves that we do have an impact, and we do have a place in the future of world diplomacy. That’s something I love about Model U.N., and I’m excited to continue along this path in my professional career,” said O’Hare.
Learn more about Model U.N.
Model U.N. continues to grow—this year, they added a new E-Board position, and the future of the club is bright.
“I’m blown away by the dedication of our members, especially our E-Board. The results of this trip showcase the excitement towards what Model U.N. is building. It gives me a lot of hope for the future of the club,” said Flores, who graduates in the spring after four years of being a club member.
To keep up with Model U.N., you can follow their Instagram, join their Discord, and visit their MyOrgs page.The club and its leadership positions are open to undergraduate and graduate students of all majors. Students can reach out to modelunumassd@gmail.comto register and learn more.
Flores, Castro, and O’Hare would like to shoutout the club’s faculty advisor Peter Sandby-Thomas for his guidance, and Maria Antao for her assistance with the financial aspects of the trip.