UCF’s Model United Nations team achieved major success at the recent ArchMUN competition, held on Oct. 24-26 at the University of Georgia in Athens, earning the title of “Best Large Delegation.” 

“Winning ‘Best Large Delegation’ means the team had the highest total points of any large university there,“ said Max Seltzer, a senior political science major and UCF’s Model U.N. president.

Seltzer said the team now boasts about 35 active members and continues to grow each semester. Sixteen delegates represented UCF at the recent Athens conference, where many earned individual accolades, including “Best Delegate” and other top committee awards. 

Model U.N. competitions bring together students from universities across the country to simulate the operations of the United Nations and other political bodies. Seltzer said delegates debate, negotiate and draft resolutions on a wide range of global issues.

At last weekend’s conference, Seltzer said UCF participants tackled topics such as nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation, an alternate-history Colombian constitutional convention and even a “Game of Thrones”-themed committee centered on political and social strategy.

“Despite the front-facing theme, at its core we always go back to debating political, social and economic issues,” Seltzer said.

Seltzer said the UCF team competes frequently across the U.S., with past events taking them to San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, Washington, D.C., Montreal and throughout the Southeast.

This fall, Seltzer announced that the team is scheduled to attend four conferences, including Georgetown University’s National Collegiate Security Conference in Washington, D.C., and will host its annual high school event, KnightMUN XIV.

Looking ahead to spring, Seltzer also said the team plans to attend seven conferences in the spring and host PegasusMUN I, the first-ever college-level Model U.N. conference based at UCF.

The team’s recent success marks a dramatic rise in its national standing.  

“Three years ago, we were below top 75, and after constant practice and hard work, we have skyrocketed to a nationally ranked top 25 Model U.N. team,” Seltzer said. 

For many team members, that growth makes this latest win especially meaningful. 

Carlos Yera, senior aerospace engineering major and UCF’s Model U.N. vice president, said it felt good to see all their hard work finally pay off. 

“We got ‘Best Large Delegation,’ beating out UF, which has a really good Model U.N. club,” Yera said. 

The team’s focus, however, remains on an even bigger prize. 

“With UCF being known for its engineering program, it’s our goal to grow the attention and bring prestige to humanities programs,” Yera said.