CONWAY, Ark. (November 30, 2021) – Hendrix
College garnered six Exceptional Representation awards at the American Model
United Nations (AMUN) Conference, held from November 20-23. Returning to
Chicago after last year’s remote hiatus, Hendrix students represented Austria
and Mongolia at this year’s gathering. The students receiving awards included:
- Phillip
Powell ’23 and Kolya Souvorin ’23 for the General Assembly First Committee
(Mongolia)
- Ilana
Svartz ’22 for the General Assembly Third Committee (Mongolia)
- Maya
Kreczmer ’23 and Jenny Grötzer (international exchange student) for the Human
Rights Council (Austria)
- Raven
Johnson ’23 and Kerterra Starr ’24 for the Commission on the Status of Women
(Mongolia)
- Maggie
Kleck ’22 and Monica Martinez ’22 for the Economic and Social Commission for Asia
& the Pacific (Mongolia)
- Thalia
Fort ’22 and Chloe Griffith ’23 for the Historical Security Council for 1973
(Austria)
Four of the award-winning students listed
above—Kreczmer, Johnson, Kleck, and Fort—also served as second-year AMUN
mentors for first-time participants.
Other participating students from Hendrix,
and the simulations they represented, included:
- Nathan
Painter ’22 and Luis Civallero ’23: General Assembly First Committee (Austria)
- Paloma
Macarena ’23 and Houston Phillips ’24: General Assembly Third Committee
(Austria)
- Annie
Elliott ’24 and Tali Ramirez ’22: General Assembly Fourth Committee (Austria)
- Lynnaya
Hamby ’22 and Claire Segura ’24: General Assembly Fourth Committee (Mongolia)
- Jack
Harrison (international exchange student) and Colin Jenkins ’24: International
Atomic Energy Agency (Austria)
- Dani
Brumbelow ’25 and Tuffy Dornburg ’23: International Atomic Energy Agency
(Mongolia)
- Jana
Kern (international exchange student): UN Environmental Assembly (Austria)
- Keira
Boop ’23: UN Environmental Assembly (Mongolia)
- Rachel
Allen ’22 served as the Permanent Representative (PR) for the entire group,
assisting both delegations and their representatives with position paper
drafting, conference strategy, and logistics.
About 850 students, representing around 65
UN Member States and Observers, attended this year’s in-person gathering. A
smaller virtual conference was held concurrently with the Chicago event.
“We were very excited to return to an
in-person conference,” said Professor of Politics Dr. Daniel Whelan, who has
directed the Hendrix Model UN program since 2008. “With the exception of our
PR, Rachel Allen, none of our 26 students had ever attended a collegiate Model
UN conference, but they were extremely well-prepared. They engaged the
proceedings with the kind of depth and passion our Model UN program is known
for.”
Whelan also noted that while some teams
with more first-time AMUN participants dealt with some disruptive behavior, the
Hendrix team provided an object lesson in professional development: “While our
students were at times discouraged and frustrated, they nevertheless kept their
eye on the ball and maintained their professionalism to the end,” he said. “I
am very proud of their hard work and dedication.”
The Hendrix team’s attendance at this
year’s AMUN conference was supported by the Bill and Connie Bowen Odyssey
Professorship, which Whelan holds through 2023. The team looks forward to AMUN
2022, where Hendrix plans to represent Guatemala and Norway.
About
Hendrix College
A private liberal arts college in Conway,
Arkansas, Hendrix College consistently earns recognition as one of the
country’s leading liberal arts institutions, and is featured in Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That
Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges. Its academic quality and
rigor, innovation, and value have established Hendrix as a fixture in numerous
college guides, lists, and rankings. Founded in 1876, Hendrix has been
affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. To learn more, visit www.hendrix.edu.