One Kansas State University student brought home outstanding recognition from the 55th Midwest Model United Nations Conference. Halli Wigger, freshman in agricultural economics from Troy, Kansas, earned the delegate’s choice award at the conference, which is an all-collegiate event where students work with pressing international issues.
Other students at the conference selected Wigger for the award based on her representation of Cuba on the International Fund for Agricultural Development committee, which comprised student representatives of United Nations countries from around the world.
“I was very pleased to have won an award considering all the time and effort that I put into it,” Wigger said. “It was very rewarding to have that kind of payoff, especially at my first conference.”
Wigger brought the committee together and led the organization of ideas to compose policy based on two specific topics—hunger, food, and nutrition security in post-2015 development framework and the international year of family farming. The students chose to implement education and trade programs, improve technology at the production level and advocate rural farming to support the topics.
The group attended sessions up to 12 hours per day to discuss the topics and draft the policy, which Wigger typed and submitted it for her committee, then made the necessary corrections. The policy was then presented at a plenary session.
When Wigger told Taylor Bates, a student in political science, about her interest in international agriculture, Bates introduced her to MMUN. The conference provides a hands-on perspective of world politics to broaden student awareness. Because they represent a country’s delegation, the students experience the complexities of international relations.
Wigger went with 22 other K-State students to the conference, which was Feb. 18-22 in St. Louis. She was one of few agriculture students in attendance at the conference among political science and pre-law students from 37 colleges in the Midwest.
She recommends that anyone interested in international agriculture or business should register for the conference because it is a great way to get experience in these areas right away.
Wigger has already paved a path to success in her first year at K-State. She joined the College of Agriculture Ambassador team in February and is a member of K-State’s National Agri-Marketing Association team and National Society for Collegiate Scholars. She is also in Sigma Alpha, the professional agricultural sorority.
Wigger aspires to join the Peace Corps or work for the U.S. Department of Agriculture so she can reach out to developing countries and help improve rural agriculture strategies.
Written by: Amanda Sales, Department of Agricultural Economics Communications Assistant and sophomore in Agricultural Communications and Journalism
