A team of University of Wisconsin-Superior students earned an honorable mention at the 2025 National Model United Nations (NMUN) conference last week in Washington D.C. The students represented Ethiopia in one of the world’s longest standing and most prestigious experiential learning opportunities on international diplomacy.  

Participating students included Ella Hill, Maëlle Rihouey, Brett Hesselberg, Kidest Mitiku and Elroee Sirak, who joined more than 780 students from around the world to deliberate current global issues. 

The NMUN•DC 2025 conference featured eight simulated UN committees, a crisis simulation in the Security Council and keynote sessions with distinguished global leaders.  

“Model UN provides an excellent opportunity for our students to showcase their diplomatic skills in a competitive environment. It’s a great honor for our UWS team to receive an honorable mention at the National Model UN conference for representing Ethiopia,” said Khalil (Haji) Dokhanchi, faculty advisor and Social Inquiry Department professor. 

Participation in NMUN challenges students to apply academic knowledge in real time as they research global issues, negotiate complex policy positions and collaborate with peers from around the world. Through this competition, students strengthen essential skills in communication, public speaking, diplomacy, negotiation, empathy and creative problem-solving—preparing them for active global citizenship.  

UW-Superior would like to congratulate these students on their performance and representation of the university in a globally recognized setting. Their achievement reflects the university’s commitment to providing hands-on learning experiences that extend far beyond the classroom.