The Model United Nations team earned five first-place awards, two Best Position Paper honors, and the overall Best Large Delegation award at SICMUN, competing against more than 900 delegates from eight countries.

Held at Southwestern University and hosted by Delegates Beyond Borders in conjunction with Meridian World School, SICMUN brought together students from countries including Mexico, Peru, and Nigeria. Model UN students brought 26 delegates who competed in committees such as the World Health Organization, the UN Security Council, Cold War: Russia vs U.S., and a futuristic crisis on corporate sovereignty.

“SICMUN is a Model UN Conference held at Southwestern University and put on by Delegates Beyond Borders in conjunction with the Meridian World School,” AP Human Geography and AP World History teacher Todd Carpenter said. “There were over 900 delegates from 8 different countries, including Mexico, Peru, and Nigeria.”

Despite not bringing their most experienced competitors, the team secured top honors.

“We did not bring our most experienced delegates to this conference. Instead, we brought 26 of our greenest members,” English teacher Kylie Pickett said. “The fact that we still won as many awards as we did is a testament to just how much talent our club is brimming with.”

Sponsors credit the achievement to long-term preparation and structured training.

“Training is ongoing. We meet most Tuesdays for meetings. During those meetings, our USG of Academics presents material on writing position papers, opening speeches, and writing directives,” Carpenter said. “Students work tirelessly after school in their free time to internalize this material beyond our training.”

Beyond preparation, sponsors said students’ willingness to push themselves stood out most at the conference.

“What always impresses me most is our students’ ability to make mistakes, fail really hard, but then try, try again,” Pickett said.

In addition to committee awards, two delegates earned recognition for their writing.

“Writing awards acknowledge outstanding technical writing abilities demonstrated in their position papers,” Carpenter said. “Each committee awards one delegate for having the ‘Best Position Paper.’”

Sponsors emphasized that Model UN’s impact extends far beyond competition results.

“Students debate real world topics and work together to solve issues even adults struggle with,” Pickett said. “We believe they will be changemakers in another field, and we want them to be ready to lead our world into a brighter, better, more diplomatic future.”

Model UN will compete again later this season at RICEMUN in Houston.