Benedictine University’s (BenU) Model United Nations team (BUMUN) received the Outstanding Delegation Award at the National Model United Nations (NMUN) Conference in New York. It’s the highest award a team can earn.
For 27 years, Professor Joel Ostrow, PhD, has led Benedictine University’s Model UN program. This year marked the University’s 59th year participating at NMUN-New York. Dr. Ostrow praised the team’s leadership and work ethic.
The recognition signals that the delegation successfully represented its assigned state, Georgia, delivered informed speeches, and passed detailed resolutions through collaboration with other delegates.
“This award demonstrates that we were able to work together as a team and collaborate with others to get our ideas across,” said third-year delegate Afrah Zahid.
For the students, the honor also represents something larger. Kaylee Ludwig, a second-year delegate, noted the program’s 60-year history at BenU.
“Any sort of recognition for our program does not only benefit us, but it is a key program that has stood within our University for over 60 years now,” Ludwig said. “It shows how Benedictine as an institution throughout challenge and development has maintained this pivotal program in enhancing students’ educational experience.”
A Program Open to Everyone
Students emphasized that BUMUN is a high impact practice open to all majors, not just political science or international relations students. Simal Mansoor, the team’s head delegate, is a Health Science student who will be attending medical school. She said BUMUN is the thing she will remember most from her college years, and she credits the program with helping her develop public speaking, leadership, and advocacy skills.
Samuel McNamara, a three-year participant, reinforced that message.
“Model UN is a very unique class that offers students the opportunity to push themselves both academically and socially, which is really only possible while in college,” McNamara said. “In many ways, people who are outside of the world of politics gain more from the experience as they have to try to understand and communicate a policy or opinion that they may not understand or agree with. When they go into their respective fields, it will seem easy to advocate and understand concepts they are familiar with.”
Ludwig echoed that the program benefits students from any background.
“The class helped me build my confidence, and in doing so I have become not only a better public speaker and collaborator, but a better student able to conduct myself in a manner that I hadn’t before,” she wrote.
Building Skills and Community
Students described how BUMUN transformed their public speaking, research, and collaboration abilities.
Zahid recalled the difficulty of public speaking at first.
“Every single class, I would be praying that I wouldn’t be called up to give a speech. Public speaking on a whim was never my thing,” said Zahid. “Looking back, I don’t think any other class taught me to condense information and research the way BUMUN did.”
Es Ronquillo described a similar breakthrough.
“I was honestly never a good public speaker, and if I was asked before this class to speak in front of hundreds of people, I would’ve refused,” Ronquillo said. “However, when I got to the conference, I spoke in a large committee of at least 300 people at a time. Without this class, I definitely would’ve never gained, or taken much longer to gain, the confidence to speak in front of that many people.”
Rahman Svoboda noted how the program built practical career skills.
“It also helped me improve skills like negotiation, teamwork, leadership, and critical thinking in a way that feels much more real than a normal classroom environment,” Svoboda said.
Beyond skills, students spoke of the deep community BUMUN creates on campus. For some, it was their first real sense of belonging in college.
“I’ve personally been in three different universities so far and never have I thought I’d have so much camaraderie with people,” Ronquillo wrote. “I never really stayed after class to talk to people, never did fun things outside of class with anyone I went to school with, but that changed with this class.”
Svoboda agreed.
“One of the best parts of BUMUN has been the people. Preparing for the conference together, traveling together, and supporting each other throughout the week created a really strong sense of community within our delegation,” said Svoboda.
Exposure to the World
The conference in New York also gave students exposure to peers from across the country and around the world. Umang Jain, an international student, described the experience as transformative.
“New York City has an energy unlike anywhere else, and being there as a delegate, walking into that conference, representing Benedictine University on a national stage was something I could not have imagined when I first started this journey,” Jain said. “It was intense, it was exciting, and honestly it was one of the best weeks of my college experience.”
Svoboda noted the value of meeting other dedicated students.
“One of the most impactful parts of BUMUN was meeting students from universities across the world and seeing the level of passion and professionalism they brought into the committee. It was motivating and, honestly, a bit eye-opening at times,” Svoboda said. “The conference pushed all of us to improve not only academically, but personally as well.”
Why BUMUN Matters
Students hope the Benedictine University community understands the lasting value of the program.
“BUMUN isn’t simply a class or a club, but it consists of every hallmark that Benedictine University offers and hopes to reflect upon students,” said Ludwig. “Its value is that it ensures exactly what most should be hoping for within an institution which is new, exciting, scary, and rewarding experiences that you will remember when you reflect upon your overall college experience.”
Jain addressed alumni and supporters directly.
“To the alumni and supporters, BUMUN is one of those experiences that is hard to fully explain but easy to feel the impact of. It shapes students in ways that go far beyond a resume line. It builds character, and I think that is what makes it so special.”
Sebastian Delatorre put it simply.
“Being a part of multiple different clubs and playing a sport, Model UN is THE event that I look forward to the most,” Delatorre said. “Meeting new people whether they’re in my class or from another country in conference has been an eye-opening experience. These are students that I will never forget because of the bond we had during class and conference.”
Zahid offered a final thought.
“BUMUN will definitely be a core memory,” she wrote. “I want everyone to know that it truly is an experience of a lifetime.”
