Carleton College Model U.N. Delegation Wins World Title

April 16, 2002
A delegation of six Carleton College students earned first-place honors at the Harvard World Model United Nations Conference in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

Carleton won the Best Delegation Award over Yale University, which took second place. The conference is an annual event organized by Harvard University, and is structured like the United Nations, with students participating on various committees representing different countries as they try to solve real-world problems. Fifty delegations from 35 countries took part in the conference.

"The World Model United Nations Conference is unique because it brings together students from around the world with a melange of perspectives," said Jessica Yarnall, a Carleton senior and conference participant. "It is an honor to be considered the best team in the world, when there are talented individuals from every corner of the globe."

Each of the six Carleton students also won individual awards, which are intended to recognize excellence within given committees.

Yarnall, a native of Sioux Falls, S.D., won a verbal mention award for her service to the United Nations Development Program despite having missed half of her committee’s meetings while sick with food poisoning.

Luke Peterson, a senior from Duluth, Minn., won a Diplomacy Award for his work on the World Bank Committee.

Katie Newell, a junior from Missoula, Mont., received the Diplomacy Award on the Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Council.

Jeff Hellman, a senior from Hillsboro, Ore., won an Honorable Delegate award for his work on the Disarmament Committee.

Kenechi Ejebe, a senior from Plymouth, Minn., won an Honorable Delegate award for work on the World Health Organization.

Jason Richardson, a senior from Boise, Idaho, won a Diplomacy Award while on the Organizations of American States Committee.