As the leanest Yale Model United Nations delegation in recent memory, 17 students will represent various nations at this year’s conference—expected to be the largest in the event’s 45-year-old existence.
Four students will represent Argentina and eight students will represent Bolivia, serving on an equivalent number of committees. Another student will also represent Malaysia, sitting on the United Nations Environment committee.
The delegation also has two regional seats, representing Eritrea for the African Union, and India for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Additionally, Miles Munkacy will be role-playing a Weimar official during the interwar years, and Catherine Leeder will be role-playing an official during Operation Condor, a American-backed campaign of political repression throughout Latin America, primarily in the 1970s.
Model UN adviser David Cutler wanted to keep this year’s delegation smaller, hoping to help students become more competitive.
“In previous years, we have had as many as 28 students attend,” Cutler said. “I realized that that was about 10 too many, and it didn’t really allow me to give sufficient attention to the needs of the group. Now, with fewer students, my goal is to help students feel more prepared and confident going into the conference, which has a reputation for being the most competitive in the nation.”
Last year, the delegation was assigned just one country, Ghana, to represent at the Yale University conference in January. This prevented students from sitting together on the same committee. This year, while the delegation was assigned several countries, only two students can sit together on a single committee.
“I think that some students might not be too happy about being alone in their respective committees, but I believe it enriches the experience and allows students to engage more fully in the conference,” said Co-Lead Delegate Jared Heller ’19. “Leaving one’s comfort zone is important, especially when looking to the future and college.”
Students will leave School Thursday, Jan. 17 after Upper School lunch, and will return to campus Sunday, Jan. 20.
