FAMU students participate in Model UN event at Harvard

 

Florida A&M student delegates left for Boston on Thursday to represent the university at the 59th session of the National Model United Nations.

FAMU students were selected for an opportunity to attack challenges related to international negotiations and diplomacy with more than 3,000 other college students from around the world.

The annual three-day event aims to stimulate and encourage students to confront issues associated with human rights and international issues. The conference will offer a variety of activities for students to network with one another, get a tour of Harvard University’s campus and attend a career fair.

FAMU was the only historically black university invited to attend the conference. The delegates will split into two groups and represent Barbados and Tajikistan.

Mariah Williams, a political science student and president of the FAMU Chapter of the Model U.N., has gone to four conferences and wants to improve her skills in Boston.

“I expect to learn how to construct policies for world solution and express interest in a diplomatic way so the world can be a better place,” Williams said. “I want to negotiate policies more effectively.”

The nine students attending are: Clarece Polke, a senior newspaper journalism student; Jacoby Young, a senior political science student; Antoine Anthony, a junior political science student; Nashandra Howard, a sophomore political science student; Mariah Williams, a senior political science student; Daune Robin, a senior broadcast journalism student; Joseph Widler, a junior political science student; Kierra Woodger, a sophomore criminal justice student and Candice Williams, a sophomore music education student.

Two advisers, Victor Eno and Christopher Daniels, are accompanying the students.

The Student Government Association helped fund the trip. SGA provided hotel and transportation for the students.

Daniels said this conference is a great way to display the talents of student diplomats.

“It’s really big because it’s an opportunity for the students,” Daniels said. “We have great students at FAMU that can compete academically. SGA was willing to help us. This opportunity is to show we can do things on our own and put ourselves on the map.”

Fellow Rattlers, such as Eli Armstrong, a political science student from Lakeland, are rooting for their classmates.

“I think it’s a great thing for them to go and see how the U.N. works,” Armstrong said. “Maybe they can make changes one day. One of my classmates was selected to go.”