ORU’s Model United Nations Team Takes Outstanding Delegation Award

For Immediate Release: March 11, 2022

For More Information: Dr. Charles Scott, Vice President of External Affairs, Oral Roberts University, Office: 918.495.6228, Cell: 417.291.6335, cscott@oru.edu.

ORU’s Model UN team (left to right): Eugene Alsandor, Carlos Vazquez, Lauryn Weaver, Vera Shestakova, Caelyn Hunter, Dr. Ruby Libertus, Esther Olosho, Juliana Song, Denisse Herrera, Anarose Simeo, and Ne'coe Brown.

Tulsa Okla.—Oral Roberts University (ORU) was among 31 universities that sent student delegations to compete at the Midwest Model United Nations (MMUN) conference in St. Louis, Missouri. The ORU team won five awards plus the Outstanding Delegation award. These awards recognized the work undertaken by ORU students throughout all interactive sessions in the MMUN conference. 

“In building our delegation,” said Dr. Ruby Libertus, Advisor for ORU’s MUN team, “we took students with no experience or knowledge of the United Nations to compete at the conference. This hands-on experience helps them develop into global citizens. It was also a good opportunity to represent ORU and showcase the best of our University through our students.”

The MMUN competition simulated real-life United Nations experiences by challenging students within a diplomacy-driven structure that mirrored actual U.N. work. “This simulated experiment,” said ORU’s head delegate, Vera Shestakova, “affirmed my goals. I want to be an advocate for human rights and religious freedom.”

ORU’s delegation team spent hours researching and learning the new rules of procedure prior to the conference. With the convergence of international, professional, and personal life, the MMUN competition created a real-life experience for ORU’s team. In the end, they brought home five awards and the committee chairs highlighted the team’s research, diplomatic behavior, public speeches, and leadership.

“I’m elated by the ORU delegation’s awards,” said Dr. Norm Mintle, ORU Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Cultural Studies. “This win shows what our ORU students are learning and are capable of doing.” 

Along with the Outstanding Delegation award, ORU’s team also received Outstanding in General Assembly First Committee, Outstanding in United Nations Environment Assembly, Honorable Mention in Security Council, and Honorable Mention in Security Council in Crisis. Through these accomplishments, ORU students developed solutions for international problems and broadened their global perspective.  

“The MUN experience was a unique experience for us,” said Esther Olosho, ORU International Relations major. “We all had the opportunity to get hands-on in the field and give it our best effort. It gave me a feel for what I’m studying and it made me feel like I’m doing what I’m supposed to.”

 

ABOUT ORAL ROBERTS UNIVERSITY

ORU is a Christian, Spirit-empowered, interdenominational university in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with over a decade of consecutive enrollment growth. Regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, ORU offers over 150 majors, minors, concentrations, and pre-professional programs at the bachelor’s level, ranging from business and engineering to nursing, ministry, and more. Under the leadership of President Dr. William Wilson, ORU is preparing students from all 50 states and 126 nations to be whole leaders for the whole world. 

The Wall Street Journal ranked ORU as the #4 university in the nation for student engagement. This ranking is based upon faculty interactions, collaborative learning, critical thinking, real-world applications of student learning, the extent to which classes challenge students, and whether students would recommend a university to others.

ORU is ranked by U.S. News & World Report as 

•            #1 in Undergraduate Teaching

•            #2 in Most International Students

•            #3 in Best Value

•            #6 in Best College for Veterans

•            #7 in Best Regional Colleges in the West

For more information, visit www.oru.edu.