Randolph students represent Bahrain at virtual Model UN conference

Avery Payne ’21, bottom right, participates in the virtual National Model U.N. Conference in April.

A delegation of Randolph College students participated in the virtual 2021 National Model United Nations Conference last month, discussing global issues and proposing solutions to some of the world’s most pressing issues. 

Students represented Bahrain and seven committee assignments, including the Human Rights Council, Nuclear Non-Proliferation Review Council, UN Commission on the Status of Women, and the UN Environmental Assembly. 

Rebecca Jones ’21 and Jose Marquez ’21 served as head delegates, positions usually given to students who have attended several Model UN conferences in the past and can offer useful insights to their classmates. 

Randolph’s delegation received a peer award for Outstanding Delegates in the Human Rights Council, led by Avery Payne ’21 and Zeinab Elkhansa ’24. 

“The students worked extremely hard to prepare for this year’s Model UN conference,” said Aaron Shreve, political science professor and the team’s faculty advisor. “The pandemic, dual-delivery classes, and the fact that most of our students had not been to a Model UN conference, let alone a virtual one, before made this year particularly challenging. But everyone put in the effort, and I could not have asked for more.”