Rider University's Ally Watson of Pawling Leads 'Outstanding Delegation'

Rider University's Model United Nations Team received two top honors at the conclusion of the National Model United Nations Conference, held from March 28 through April 1, inside the U.N. headquarters in New York City. Ally Watson of Pawling, N.Y., a senior Political Science major, served as this year's head delegate of the Rider team.

Representing Venezuela, the Rider delegation competed against more than 300 groups from American and international universities, and received the prestigious Outstanding Delegation award, the highest distinction a team can obtain.

There was Rider representation on several committees, including the General Assemblies, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, International Atomic Energy Agency, Commission for Sustainable Development, and Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. Partners on the committees were responsible for writing position papers defending their country's stance on three topics. The Rider students also received an Outstanding Position Paper recognition for the overall quality of the nine papers submitted by the team.

"The performance this year was absolutely outstanding. It definitely surpassed last year's team," Watson said. "We received the same awards as last year, but we definitely put in more effort this year."

In February, the Rider team was able to meet German Mundarain, Venezuelan ambassador to the United Nations, in New York. It was the first time a Model U.N. Team from Rider was able to meet the ambassador of the country it was representing. Watson said the meeting was extremely helpful.

"He didn't just give a straight party platform," she said. "He also gave us a diplomatic perspective. He helped us to really capture the essence of what a Venezuelan diplomat is, particularly where our political perspective would lie as a diplomat and not as a politician."

This year, Watson and the three team leaders selected 14 students out of a pool of 60 applicants. The team met regularly as an evening class (POL 295 Special Project: National Model United Nations) and conducted extensive research outside of the classroom. Now in its 43rd year, Rider's Model U.N. Team, under the advisement of Dr. Barbara Franz, associate professor of Political Science and director of the Area Studies Program, gives students a chance to experience how the United Nations handles and resolves world problems and issues.

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