Author: Jessica Doss | Major: Chemistry and Anthropology | Semester: Fall 2025
Representing Japan UNESCO!
My name is Jessica Doss, and I am a third-year studying Chemistry and Anthropology. This fall semester, I decided to study abroad in Banff, Canada via the unique Model United Nations program offered at the University of Arkansas. I joined this class hoping to emerge a better public speaker, negotiator, and as a more knowledgeable person about the world around us. However, even this 8-day experience in Canada completely opened my eyes to a new way of approaching relationships internationally, both professionally and personally.
When I first heard about the Model UN program at the University, I was immediately interested at the prospect of both honing my diplomacy and public speaking skills while being able to visit a foreign country, albeit for a short period of time. I had never visited Canada before, and the conference’s strong focus on indigenous issues made it particularly relevant for someone like me that aspires to work with disadvantaged populations from a policy perspective in my future career. I was slightly hesitant as this class was a little out of left-field for my career intentions, even if it was somewhat relevant, due to my medically-focused ambitions. However, this experience truly helped bridge the gap between technical prowess and being able to navigate the side of medicine and medical policy that employs soft power and negotiation for improvement.
Moments in which I felt this connection most deeply was in the initial days of the conference, where I had the privilege to learn from First People’s elders through a conference-led community session. We did a blanket exercise that walked through a culturally conscious reenactment of the colonization of Canada and held a debrief hour in which we discussed our feelings alongside native elders who brought their lived experience to the table, I truly realized that humanity is evident among all of us and connects our experiences across cultures. In that room were Americans, Canadians, Germans, Australians, Italians, Japanese, and people of many other origins. Convening together and talking about the shared weight of global history, and truly connecting with how that affects our day-to-day and our careers as well, was truly one of the most impactful experiences I had during this experience.
Expanding on the global community formed through NMUN, another valuable experience I had was being able to make connections within the simulation itself. Although it appears that each student is merely cosplaying as another country’s diplomat, the time each student takes to truly understand that nation’s perspective and carry it out in action was a premier learning experience for us all. Downtime during the conference did not necessarily mean that everyone suddenly switched out of character; even though we shifted back to representing our own identities, we still recognized each other within the context of the conference and therefore had many multifaceted interactions that were held at the crossroads of many cultures. This was the result of months of thorough research colliding with our personal selves, presenting a unique diplomatic experience at the conference itself.
What surprised me on this experience the most was the global awareness that many of my international peers held, or even the Canadian public. When I visited Japan this past summer with the U-of-A, I was often asked to explain what was representative of Arkansas and the United States. At Model UN, these people had the background, as did much of the Canadian public to my utmost surprise. We had a full thanksgiving gathering watching a Hogs basketball game, and even taxi drivers knew that Arkansas was the home of Bill Clinton when I cautiously explained to them where I was coming from. This opened me to the eyes of our standing on the global stage, and I was truly grateful to have been able to represent my university and home nation in a prideful way amongst a community that seemed to be highly aware of global happenings. It made me aspire to continue to stay informed on our international relationships and continue fostering connections that transcends borders, capturing the spirit of the UN and humanity at its core.