The Howard Payne University Model United Nations (MUN) team recently took home three of the top five honors, including the top team at the Northwest Model United Nations Conference in Seattle, Washington. The HPU team won outstanding delegate in the beginner committee, outstanding delegate in the intermediate committee and the “Outstanding Delegation” award.

MUN is a simulation in which students from various schools participate as delegates of assigned countries. They then advocate for their country’s perspective on an issue. The goal is for students to experience how countries with different viewpoints would attempt to reach peaceful solutions to international issues.

Sophomore Maddie Duncan, Guy D. Newman Honors Academy and psychology major, was named the Outstanding Delegate in the General Assembly, out of 50 students. Senior Hannah Parnell, Honors Academy and psychology major, was named Outstanding Delegate in the Economic and Social Committee, comprised of 36 students who had all competed in Model UN conference before.

“I expected a ton out of this team before Seattle, but they exceeded even that,” said Dr. Dave Claborn, faculty sponsor and professor of government. “They could not have impressed me more than they did. It was such a triumph.”

Senior Sadie Willie, Honors Academy and jurisprudence major, coach and head delegate of the team, helped prepare the team for the competition, half of whom had never competed before.

“I was beyond proud of our team and the way everyone performed in Seattle,” said Willie. “This was my first semester as head delegate of our Model UN team, and I couldn’t be more pleased with how things turned out. I am blessed with such intelligent, competitive students.” 

Claborn also praised Willie’s leadership over the team.

“Sadie took this team of eight, half of which had never been to a conference before, and two more who had only been to one conference before this, and she turned them into a team that out-politicked everyone else, including Canada’s fourth largest university, University of Washington and a dozen other universities,” said Claborn.

Additional HPU team members include Andrew Mathis, sophomore Honors Academy and history major; Kellen McKee, junior Honors Academy and biomedical science major; Hannah Jordan, senior Honors Academy and psychology major; Michael Jones, freshman Honors Academy and government major; and Madison Jenkins, junior Honors Academy and history major.

There were 132 students from multiple countries and 10 other universities who participated in the NWMUN Conference, including the eight students from HPU.