(from left to right) Erica Jones, Mackenzie Mollner, Sydney Kincaid, and Katherine Calandro stand in the field right in front of where the Berlin Wall used to be

Author: Katherine Calandro | Major: Economics | Semester: Fall 2023

My name is Katherine Calandro and I am an Economics major here at the Sam M. Walton College of Business. The Model United Nations Conference in Erfurt, Germany during the Fall 2023 semester was one of the greatest academic and personal development trips I have been on during my college career. This program involved a hefty amount of preparation beforehand including editing delegate position papers, creating presentations to teach the Arkansas Delegates, and aiding in simulation preparation during class time. This program really has guided me in my leadership style as well as being a dependable asset to the University of Arkansas students while they prepare for their first Model UN Conference. During the conference I was so proud of every single one of the University of Arkansas Delegates and their ability to command control of the room and work with other students to develop solutions to global problems. The most rewarding experience was being able to see every delegate from my school perfect and command attention in their committee rooms while giving speeches that we had worked on for the past few months. Seeing them so proud and confident in themselves was truly one of the best parts of the trip for me.

This experience was unique in that all previous Model UN Conferences I have attended have been within the United States. Attending a conference outside of America allowed me to meet so many different people from different facets of life, and I was able to learn an immense amount about the history of Germany. Walking down the town streets felt like I was inside a small Christmas town decoration set, while traveling across the country to see amazing historical sites like the Berlin Wall, Wartburg Castle, and Buchenwald Concentration Camp. One of the most interesting and challenging aspects I found in this trip is the unique and amazing way that humans can communicate in other ways than language. Not knowing German while attending the conference was not challenging; however, interacting with my environment like buying small gifts for my parents from a nice woman who did not speak any English was one of my favorite experiences. Public transportation, although convenient, was difficult to handle at some points since a lot of the announcements were only in German. However, so many people were willing and ready to help our travel group get from point A to point B without knowing us and only knowing that we only spoke English.

I would recommend the Model UN Program to any and all students attending the University of Arkansas. Although it takes a lot of preparatory work, this program is the most rewarding experience both professionally and personally that I have had the opportunity to experience while attending the University of Arkansas. I wish I would have known a bit more about the public transit system and how difficult it would be for me to handle a holiday away from home. Spending Thanksgiving in Germany was not a negative experience, but at times I did find myself really homesick and wanting to see all of my family members on a day I was halfway across the world from them. The first thing that I will be doing once I return home is to Facetime my parents and tell them all about my trip!