Author: Isabella Thompson | Major: Political Science and International Studies | Semester: Fall 2024

A Sweet Escape at a Volcanic Lake!

My name is Isabella Thompson, and I am a junior studying Political Science and International Studies in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. This November, I spent 10 days in Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands doing the Model United Nations Study Abroad Program. Model United Nations conference is where students from universities all over the world come together and represent different countries in a United Nations simulation. Each student was assigned a country and committee of the United Nations and discussed two pre-decided and pre-researched issues. The program was in the Galapagos Islands because the conference was focused on environmental issues.

For the conference, I was assigned the country of Ethiopia and the United Nations Development Programme committee. The topics discussed were Water Security and Electrification and Energy Transition. I spent all semester researching the water resources and electrification efforts of Ethiopia. I wrote a position paper detailing the international, national, and local efforts Ethiopia is partaking in to improve global access to water and clean energy. Then, when I got to the conference, I gave several speeches a day to inform other students of the gravity of the situation and the solutions I came up with to fix the issues. I truly enjoyed giving the speeches because throughout the class and conference, I learned to become a much better and more confident public speaker. When we weren’t giving speeches, the other students and I would split off into groups and write resolutions containing all of our ideas for water security and/or electrification. We spent the first two days of the conference discussing electrification and green energy and the last day on water security. Being in small groups was really fun because I got to know people from all over the globe. There were students from Australia, Germany, Japan, Ecuador, the Northeast, and Texas in my committee, so hearing their stories and learning about their lives was a real treat. Where people came from also impacted the way they approached the issues and what solutions they proposed. Getting to know the other students and practicing my leadership abilities in a small group setting was the most beneficial part of the conference. At the end of the actual conference, my committee piled all of our papers together to form one large draft resolution. It was difficult to bring that large of a group together, but it really helped me work on my communication skills and taught me how to stand up for my own ideas and the ideas of others. At the closing ceremonies, awards were announced, and every delegation from Arkansas won Outstanding Delegation, which was a huge honor. I was very happy that my hard work paid off and I learned so much from the experience.

Outside of the conference, there were lots of fun activities that pushed me out of my comfort zone. On Thanksgiving, we spent the day doing a service project, which felt really good to help others on a day of thanks. We were cleaning up the highways outside of the national parks, which was fun and really bonded the Arkansas delegation together. Other activities included hiking a volcano to see a lake inside, visiting the sanctuary for giant tortoises, and deep-water snorkeling at Kicker Rock. These moments were amazing and opportunities that I never thought I would have. The snorkeling was really scary at first, but I was able to overcome my fears and I saw manta rays, sea turtles, and even a hammerhead shark! This trip was the most amazing journey I have been on so far and I learned so many valuable lessons that I can carry with me back at Arkansas. I learned how to step out of my comfort zone and take advantage of every opportunity I am presented. I learned to be a better leader and communicator at the conference. I learned to take the time to reflect on everything I am grateful for whenever situations are uncertain. I am so grateful to the Honors College, Dr. Stapp, and the Arkansas Model UN program for presenting me with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend ten days in the Galapagos Islands. This experience is one I will never forget.