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Mercy College’s Model United Nations (U.N.) team was named a Distinguished Delegation and won seven Outstanding Position Paper Awards at the National Model U.N. conference in New York City in April. These awards placed Mercy’s team in the top tier of delegations from 98 colleges and universities from across the country and the world. The Mercy team has won awards at every Model U.N. conference they have attended over the past 10 years.

“Mercy College is exceedingly proud of our Model U.N. team,” said Mercy College President Tim Hall. “A lot of hard work goes into preparing for this conference, and we’re thrilled to see the team’s efforts gain top recognition. The skills the students gain from this experience will serve them well throughout their careers and their lives.”

“This year’s results are amazing and definitely a record for Mercy College,” said faculty advisor Michiko Kuroda who previously worked at the U.N. for 30 years. “We submitted eight position papers, and seven of them won. That’s an 87.5% success rate! Other colleges are asking us how we won so many awards. We were just really committed to working and reworking our papers — over and over. I want students to learn that if they work harder, they can get better results.”

At the conference, Mercy’s Model U.N. team represented Gabon on several simulated U.N. committees alongside approximately 1,500 students who traveled from places as far away as Texas, California, Germany, Argentina and Australia. As they prepare to participate in the annual conference, students learn how the U.N. works, how to research countries and analyze issues, how to write strong position papers, how to present and speak publicly and how to network and negotiate with others.

The moment when Mercy College was announced as a Distinguished Delegation was a memorable one for James Israel Marcus ’23. “Hearing Mercy College’s name called in the U.N. General Assembly Hall in front of everyone was a really big deal. Mercy stood out among so many other schools, and we saw the results of our hard work and real dedication.”

Equally as admirable as the awards they won is that they did it all while uplifting others. “Our team was very focused on being inclusive, so we all tried to draw in people from other delegations who seemed a bit hesitant,” said head delegate Aurora Ruud ‘23. “I've been to other conferences where I sometimes felt a bit lost or timid, and it really makes a difference when someone helps you find your voice. I'm extremely proud that our team was able to do that.”