Ouachita students earn multiple awards at Midwest Model U.N. for ninth straight year
March 27, 2026
- Chase HartsellEight Ouachita students participated in the 66th Midwest Model United Nations in St. Louis, Missouri, from Feb. 18 to Feb. 21. Under the mentorship of Dr. Kevin Brennan, professor of political science, the university’s student representatives received multiple awards for the ninth year in a row.
According to its website, Midwest Model U.N. is a conference that “emphasizes building an environment where students can learn and grow their negotiation and consensus-building skills in a diplomacy-driven simulation of actual United Nations structures.” Students from 29 colleges across the region made up delegations from around the world. They spent the event attending committee meetings and drafting position papers focused on pre-assigned topics, hoping to come to resolutions on the issues before them.
Ouachita’s eight representatives prepared for the simulation through a senior-level Model U.N. course taught by Brennan in the Fall semester. Upon arriving in St. Louis, the students were split into two delegations: one representing South Sudan, and one representing Costa Rica.
Dr. Kevin Brennan (center) is pictured with Ouachita’s student representatives at the 66th Midwest Model U.N.
The South Sudan delegation included Blaise Batson, a political science and Spanish double major from Arkadelphia, Arkansas; Carson Burks, a political science and criminal justice double major form Benton, Arkansas; Lexi Aikman, a political science and history double major from Conway, Arkansas; and Grace Sexton, a business administration major with emphases in management and entrepreneurship from Little Rock, Arkansas. South Sudan won a Distinguished Delegation Award, which placed them among the top 30 percent of all delegations at the conference. In addition to the group award, Batson and Burks received Best Position Paper Awards, which put them among the top 20 percent of all individual delegates.
“The Midwest Model U.N. conference pushed me to think quickly, express myself clearly and work collaboratively to address real-world problems like hunger and natural disasters in a unique way,” Batson said. “I am grateful to have won an award for my position paper exploring ways to promote sustainable agriculture and e-commerce for development. My team was also honored to be named one of the conference’s distinguished delegations. We believe we worked together effectively to advocate for our country’s needs and interests.”
The Costa Rica delegation was comprised of Ligia da Silva, a business administration/management major from Manaus, Brazil; Bri Fehr, a history and political science double major from Fort Worth, Texas; Allison Hatfield, a history and secondary education major from Little Rock, Arkansas; and Hannah Hickman, a history and political science double major from Smackover, Arkansas. Fehr, Hatfield and Hickman each earned a Best Position Paper Award.
“All of our students performed very well in the competitive simulation,” Brennan said. “I am truly proud of all the work they did.”
Ouachita’s Bachelor of Arts in political science allows student to study a range of topics under experienced faculty, helping them make important connections that deepen their understanding and appreciation for politics and law, theory and statistics, relationships and the art of communication. To learn more about studying political science at Ouachita, visit obu.edu/political-science or contact the Office of Admissions Counseling at 870-245-5110 or [email protected].
Lead photo: Ouachita’s distinguished South Sudan delegation featured (from left to right) Carson Burks, Lexi Aikman, Blaise Batson and Grace Sexton.
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