UW-Oshkosh Model United Nations team earns top honors at Chicago conference

The UW-Oshkosh Model United Nations team, comprised of 22 student delegates, attended the American Model United Nations International Conference in Chicago, where they represented Zambia and Liberia and competed among students from 68 universities worldwide.

The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Model United Nations (MUN) team returned from Chicago with awards, new delegates tested under pressure and a deeper sense of what it means to represent UW-Oshkosh on a national stage.

Twenty-two students traveled to the American Model United Nations International Conference (AMUN), held Nov. 22-25 in Chicago, where they joined delegates from 67 other universities representing 109 UN countries. UW-Oshkosh students represented two countries-Zambia and Liberia-at the four-day conference, which serves as a key preparation and team-building experience for the program.

For the UW-Oshkosh team, Chicago is intentionally different from the National Model United Nations conference in New York City.

"Chicago is where we bring students who are brand new to Model UN so they can understand what this experience really is," said Tracy Slagter, professor of political science and co-advisor of the UW-Oshkosh MUN team. "The rules are looser, the pace is faster and the topics are broader, which creates a great learning environment and a great test of commitment."

Slagter, who has advised the team since 2018, works alongside Angela Subulwa, professor of International and Global Studies, who joined as co-advisor in 2019. Together, they emphasize that Chicago is both a training ground and a proving ground.

"It's also a team-building conference," Subulwa said. "They're together all day, all night for three days. We want them to get on each other's nerves in a low-stakes environment so they know how to work through challenges before the stakes are higher."

Despite the developmental focus, UW-Oshkosh students stood out among their peers. The Liberia delegation earned Overall Best Delegation, the conference's top team honor, while the Zambia delegation, represented by students Vladyslav Plyaka and Victor Duket, earned an Outstanding Delegation in Committee Award in the General Assembly Plenary.

Slagter said the recognition reflects the culture the program has built over decades.

"We talk a lot about what it means to be an Oshkosh delegate," she said. "There's a particular way we expect our students to behave. They are to be professional, inclusive, flexible, kind and prepared. Even when other delegates aren't taking things seriously, our students are. And people notice."

At the conference, UW-Oshkosh delegates worked across multiple committees on complex global issues. In General Assembly First Committee (Political), students addressed reducing space threats and the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons. General Assembly Second Committee (Economic) focused on globalization, development and protecting the global climate for future generations. In General Assembly Third Committee (Social), delegates debated self-determination and improving conditions for women and girls in rural areas.

Students also participated in the General Assembly Plenary, addressing ocean stewardship and the coordination of emergency humanitarian assistance, and in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), where delegates examined nuclear security and the peaceful use of nuclear science and technology.

As students work in separate committees and rarely see one another during the day, Slagter and Subulwa remain in constant motion.

"We're walking between rooms, checking in, watching dynamics, helping students problem-solve," Slagter said. "At the end of the day, we bring everyone together to debrief, vent, strategize and reset for the next day."

Those nightly debriefs, Subulwa said, are where individual experiences become collective learning.

Of the 22 UW-Oshkosh students who attended the Chicago conference, 10 were first-year delegates. Subulwa said watching experienced students mentor newer members is one of the program's greatest strengths.

"The older students teach the younger ones how to research, how to read UN documents, how to build consensus and how to behave diplomatically," she said. "That peer teaching is incredibly powerful."

As a third-year member of the UW-Oshkosh Model United Nations team, Plyaka said one of the most meaningful parts of the Chicago conference was working alongside first-year delegate Duket.

"Victor, as my Chicago partner, did so much work, and earning that award together meant a lot to everything we did," Plyaka said. "I'm very proud of our entire team, and I'm very glad that UW-Oshkosh offers such an amazing opportunity for students to grow and learn."

For many students, Chicago solidifies their decision to continue with Model UN and prepare for the more demanding New York conference in the spring.

"We tell them upfront that New York is going to require much more preparation and discipline," Slagter said. "Chicago helps them decide if they want to make that commitment. Most of them do."

Slagter added that the skills students practice at Model UN extend far beyond conference rooms.

"They're learning how to negotiate, how to analyze data, how to write clearly, how to speak confidently and how to work with people from different backgrounds," Slagter said. "Those are life skills. You can name almost any career and those skills matter."

UW-Oshkosh Model United Nations Team - American Model United Nations (Chicago)

Zambia Delegation

• Carter Blaylock-Schmitz (GA2)*

• Victor Duket (Plenary)*

• Lillian Johnston (GA3)*

• Lilla Low (GA2)

• Maritssa Ortiz-Young (GA3)

• Vladyslav Plyaka (Plenary)

• Isaac Schill (GA1)

• Akina Souphakdy (GA1)*

• Ira Schlottke (IAEA)

• Elizabeth Tisler (Permanent Representative, floating)

• Chad Wolf-Flasch (Permanent Representative, floating)Liberia Delegation

• MaLeigha Danner (GA1)

• Reyna Esquivel (GA2)

• Nico Okrzesik (GA1)*

• Mya Okrzesik (GA3)*

• Quinn Rundle (GA2)*

• Mollie Salzman (Plenary)

• Claire Schiek (Plenary)*

• Cade Vogl (IAEA)*

• Cherry Weis (GA3)*

• Amelia Geiger (Permanent Representative, floating)

• Chaewon Yoon (Permanent Representative, floating)

* First-year delegate

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