BrownwoodNews – Howard Payne University’s Model United Nations team recently competed at the Northwest Model United Nations Conference in Seattle.
The team of seven HPU students brought home three awards and was named one of the top four teams among the more than 45 universities and 681 students from around the world represented at the conference.
Model United Nations takes current world issues and asks students, who represent various countries as delegates, to try to solve them through diplomatic means. Students learn the art of diplomacy through caucusing, writing position papers and presenting in formal settings, all while following the model of the United Nations.
“Awards went to approximately 5 percent of the teams at the conference, yet our team of seven out of the 681 at the conference brought home three,” said Dr. David Claborn, professor of government and Model UN adviser. “An average team of 20 may nab one award, generally. Yet our team came home with three times the metal.”
Lainee Hasty, senior Guy D. Newman Honors Academy and psychology and ministry major from Runaway Bay, won a Distinguished Delegate award. Caleb Kostreva, senior Honors Academy and social science/global studies major from Clifton, Colorado, won a Position Paper award. Two more HPU students were considered in the top 10 percent of their committees by the committee chairs, which landed HPU one of the four Distinguished Delegation awards.
“The students found the value in the collaboration, in the collective and creative working toward solutions to the international problems presented,” said Dr. Claborn. “To almost all of them, it was less about competing and winning and more about the work of resolving real issues in real ways with others.”
Emma Reed, senior Honors Academy and family studies major from Kennedale, served as head delegate. Competing for HPU in addition to Hasty and Kostreva were Madeline DuPre, sophomore Honors Academy, psychology and social science/jurisprudence major from Leander; Charles Lewis, junior Honors Academy and marketing major from Boerne; Andie McCoy, senior Honors Academy, social science/global studies and history major from Whitehouse; Penny Stehlik, junior Honors Academy and social science/global studies major from Round Rock; and Brad Ward, sophomore and social studies composite major from Live Oak.
