With our diverse and vibrant international community, it is only natural that Storm King is home to one of the top high school Model UN teams in New York. After a year of intense preparation, this small but dedicated group of students who are interested in international affairs, politics, and economics, traveled to the floor of the United Nations General Assembly to demonstrate their prowess at the 2018 National High School Model United Nations Conference (NHSMUN). The Conference was held in New York City on March 2-5, 2018.

The largest high school conference in the world, NHSMUN is known for its diverse and prestigious attendees, world-class staff, proven substantive excellence, and accurate, engaging committee simulations. The event hosts over 5,000 participants from more than 75 countries and 250 schools each year. The conference also provides students the opportunity to interact with high-profile United Nations delegates and gain insight into the challenges of international diplomacy, including a face-to-face visit with diplomatic representatives from the country they are representing. This year, the Storm King Team was charged with the challenge of representing the war-torn African nation of Niger.

“I was very surprised at how fast I caught on to the flow of committee sessions. I was also able to strengthen my diplomacy and international relations skills. I enjoyed working with my SKS team and making tons of new friends during committee sessions and at the delegate dance. It was a wonderful experience and I look forward to participating in NHSMUN again next year,” explained Dominique Gooden ’21, who represented the Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Committee (SOCHUM). Joseph Dawson ’18 who represented the African Union Committee also shared his thoughts about the conference: “It was a very rewarding experience. We contributed, we discussed, and we shared ideas. I think we did very well for our first year.”

Throughout the winter, Storm King’s six delegates spent countless hours preparing for the event.  In January, the team had the chance to learn from members of one of the nation’s top college-level MUN teams when the captains of the West Point Model UN Team Cadets Derrick Siebman and John Govern spent time with them here on campus. The cadets, who are both seniors at West Point, coached the SKS team on strategies and leadership approaches to use as they put together an effective case for the conference.

“Above all, make yourselves visible. Be vocal. Don’t be afraid to talk, raise your hand, and share your opinions with others,” the cadets explained. The group covered areas such as preparing a professional paper, delivering an opening speech that would resonate with the judges, and researching and presenting the issues assigned to each committee.

In February, the students also had help all the way from Stuttgart, Germany when they participated in a conference call with Mr. Brian Ross of the United States Africa Command. Mr. Ross, who currently serves as the “desk officer” for Tunisia there, has also served in the Department of Defense as the desk officer for Niger and other nations in the region. While he answered their oftentimes difficult and complex questions, Mr. Ross provided valuable insights about Niger and other central African nations, and his in-depth experience of the region proved to be a great resource for our students.

By the conclusion of the conference, all of the students’ hard work and dedication had paid off. The team couldn’t help but smile when the SKS delegates received praise from three Chairs of Committees. One Chair commented that “most schools have two or more delegates in each committee, but in our committee, Storm King had only one delegate who did the work of several students and was simply outstanding.”

Storm King’s History & Social Sciences Chair Michael Hauser, who has been mentoring the students all year, was very pleased with the outcome and of his team’s performance: “I was especially impressed that our students chose to represent the country of Niger, one of the poorest nations in the world. This allowed them to engage at the NHSMUN on very important issues such as poverty, human rights, and security. The Storm King community can be very proud of our student-delegates. They were prepared, motivated, and showed considerable intelligence and insight regarding the tough issues addressed in each committee.”

The SKS Model UN Team is comprised of the following committees and delegates:

Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Committee (SOCHUM): Dominique Gooden ‘21, Kakazi Joan Kacyira ’18

Special Political and Decolonization Committee (SECPOL): Pierce Pramuka ’20

African Union Committee (AU): Joseph Dawson ’18, Alisdair Neighbors ’22

Delegates Commission on the Status of Women (CSW): Asia Raacke ’19