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Model UN Team Captures Top Awards

For the 12th straight year, the Alma College Model United Nations team has captured at least one “outstanding” award at the National Model United Nations Conference.

This year, however, Alma students went a step further.

Alma College earned three “outstanding delegation” awards and three “outstanding” position paper awards. It is the first time in the 85-year history of the national competition that any school has achieved three “outstanding delegation” awards at the same conference.

“It was a record-breaking performance,” says Derick “Sandy” Hulme, faculty advisor. “We were the only school that brought three delegation teams, and for all three teams to win ‘outstanding delegation’ awards is quite staggering. It speaks very highly of our students.”

Competing in New York City March 18-22, the Alma student delegations represented the countries of Burkina Faso, Costa Rica and Palau.

Alma has now claimed 21 “outstanding delegation” awards at the national conference in the last 15 years.

The national conference is the largest and most prestigious collegiate Model UN competition in the world, with 4,500 students competing on behalf of more than 250 colleges and universities, including more than 2,000 international students from five continents.

Model UN attempts to replicate the real United Nations in a competitive manner. Teams of college students take on identities of countries, and delegates from each country meet in committee to propose, discuss and debate topics ranging from finance to refugees to AIDS. Once resolutions are completed in committee, they are presented to the Model UN replication of the UN General Assembly to be further debated before the assembly votes on resolutions.

Burkina Faso Delegation:

Jim Allen, Harbor Springs junior
David Bechtold, Idaho Falls, Idaho, sophomore
Rachel Blackhurst, Midland sophomore
Wesley Brown, Dalbgattie, Scotland
Meredith Campbell, Grosse Pointe Farms junior
Christopher Chesney, Riverview freshman
Chelsea Clark, Coopersville freshman
Letha Dolza, Davisburg sophomore
Taylor Gibson, Gowen sophomore
Avis Groath, Clinton Township senior
Brittany Law, Hartland junior
Sandra McCormick, Dimondale sophomore
Kyle Payne, Elsie freshman
Aaron Pooley, Reed City junior
Josh Robare, Hillsdale senior
Lauren Shaw, Saginaw freshman
Emelia Shroyer, Decatur senior
Kyla Wojtas, Macomb freshman

Costa Rica Delegation:

Rachel Dotson, Chelsea senior
Denise Elowsky, East Tawas sophomore
Drew Emge, Bay City junior
Noelle Evans, St. Clair freshman
Dan Fraser, Lexington junior
Rachel Gerds, Kalamazoo senior
Stephen Helzerman, Riverdale junior
Josh Hodge, Marshall sophomore
Christiana Hugo, Rochester Hills freshman
Danielle Jellison, Ithaca sophomore
Annie Jennings, Augusta sophomore
Kim Joki, Greenville junior
Todd Lyman, Onekama freshman
Emily Neil, Midland sophomore
Katy Rice, Clarkston freshman
Samantha Russell, Alba junior
Emilee Syrewicze, Luther senior
Brian Wagner, Weidman freshman

Palau Delegation

Spencer Caldwell-McMillan, Haslett freshman
William Grossman, Valparaiso, Ind., freshman
Erik Hanser, Detroit freshman
Hyun Kim, Namyangju-si, South Korea
Yuri Kim, Irvine, Calif.
Alexandra Oswald, Ypsilanti freshman
Allison Oswald, Ypsilanti freshman
Renee Willoughby, South Lyon freshman

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Alma College students have the ability to design their own area of academic concentration, with the assistance of a faculty advisor, to meet specific educational or career goals. In recent years, students have graduated with Programs of Emphasis majors in such fields as arts management, archaeology and anthropology, environmental policy and community advocacy, Foreign Service and international law, and music technology and digital media.

 

Student Profile

Elizabeth Heitsch

Elizabeth Heitsch
Graduation: 2008
Major: History
From: St. Louis, Michigan
Interests: Reading, Music

You do not have to know a foreign language to study internationally, but for the languages offered at Alma there are six sites to hone your language skills. Alma has partnered with universities across the globe to provide students and faculty with the best in study and research opportunities abroad in 12 countries.