COEUR d’ALENE — Two Coeur d'Alene High School sophomores have proven to be ace ambassadors after earning accolades at the Model UN competition earlier this month.

Treasurer of the newly formed club Austin Smith was named Best Consensus Builder and classmate Evan Lauer earned Best Country Representative when they competed in the student-run Oregon Model United Nations conference that was held virtually April 7-9. About 20 CHS students participated overall.

"I had a lot of fun in my group," said Austin, who represented Sweden in the Global Economy Committee.

"We had fun debating a variety of topics, including the impact of COVID on global trade, vaccine patent protection, the privatized prison systems and increasing income inequality," he said. "To others those may seem like incredibly boring topics, but I loved the engagement and arguments we got into."

He said vaccine patents were a hot issue because students representing poorer countries, like Ethiopia, said it was unfair that developed countries had greater access.

"I managed to facilitate a compromise between Ethiopia and myself, recognizing the rights of private corporations while still expediting the help of vaccine distribution in smaller countries," Austin said.

This earned him the title of Best Consensus Builder, "which is awesome!" he said. "We didn't get to vote on that award, it was just chosen by the people running the event."

Evan represented Norway in the Human Rights Committee.

"I am glad that my committee voted me to be Best Country Representative, meaning that I advocated for my country's positions well," he said. "I am proud that my peers in the committee worked so hard this year."

Model UN is a simulation of the UN General Assembly and its other multilateral bodies where students perform ambassador roles while debating important topics: gender equality, climate action, global health and more. About 1,500 students attend this annual event.

Evan said Model UN provides unique opportunities for students to think globally and deal with real-world issues.

"Participating in Model UN is also a fantastic way to build speaking skills as well as practicing respectful debate and cooperation," he said. "It can also provide the challenge to represent a country whose positions you don't believe in, forcing you to argue logically and with less bias."

The CHS Model UN Club was founded by senior Lilian Smith and adviser Don Walters about a year ago. Walters said he's proud of the club members for performing so well.

"To come away with awards says a lot about how much time they crammed into researching their topics and how they are just really well-practiced public speakers," Walters said. "While I commend those students' accomplishments, none of this would have been possible without the tireless efforts of Lilian Smith, who did 90% of the work to get us to this conference."

Evan said this club is important for his school "because it gives students the opportunity to broaden their viewpoints and experiences as well as helping them learn about conflicting positions on issues."

Austin said this year's experience helped him learn a lot about international politics and bureaucracy.

"I know all of it will be useful in my future," he said. "I personally think it's critical that students develop critical thinking and real-world skills, and this club is great for that. I'm excited to do it again next year!"

Info: www.unausa.org