Pace University New York City student Shade Quailey ’16 in a simulation of the UN General Assembly Second Committee at the 2013 National Model UN conference in Washington DC.

Pace University New York City student Shade Quailey ’16 in a simulation of the UN General Assembly Second Committee at the 2013 National Model UN conference in Washington DC.

This semester was my first experience of Model United Nations. But now that I have been to the 2013 National Model United Nations (NMUN) conference in Washington DC, I don’t think I would have been able to tell people that I had a complete college experience without it.

Model UN is one of the most unique courses offered at Pace University. The skills learned in the course not only allowed me to be well prepared for the NMUN conference, but for the real world as well. From gaining a deeper understanding of global politics, diplomacy and the workings of the UN, to strengthening my skills in researching, public speaking and writing, Model UN provided all of this and more.

The three country options this semester were Argentina, Denmark and Kenya, which were all countries I knew very little about. Along with my partner, I represented Denmark in the General Assembly Second Committee and learned so much about the Danish government, economy and positions on the three assigned topics: 1) Supporting Entrepreneurship, 2) Improving Information and Computer Technologies for Growth, and 3) Managing Migration for Economic Development. Throughout the conference, I was able to speak confidently about Denmark, their position on Supporting Entrepreneurship and ideas to support Denmark’s position that would be beneficial globally.

I appreciate that I was challenged to learn about a new country in such a short period of time and represent myself as it. I was truly given the opportunity to see the world by putting myself in the shoes of another country and I believe that I served my purpose as a delegate for Denmark. Words alone cannot express my positive feelings towards my Model UN experience. I have never felt such a great sense of accomplishment or pride from a course before, and I cannot wait to experience this feeling all over again next semester!

To read more about Pace University’s participation in the 2013 Model UN conference in Washington DC, click here.

– Shade Quailey ’16, who, along with her delegation partner Jessie Meredith ’17, represented Denmark in a simulation of the UN General Assembly Second Committee. The Pace students representing Denmark received an “Honorable Mention” award from conference for their excellent work.