Youngstown State University sophomore Abigail Kovacs received a verbal recognition award last month while representing the Republic of Kenya in the Harvard National Model United Nations conference held in Boston, Mass.
The annual conference is one of the biggest collegiate conferences on the East Coast, bringing together more than 3,000 delegates from over 70 different countries to discuss serious global issues.
Kovacs, a political science major on the foreign affairs track, is one of only two YSU students to ever win an award at this conference. She has participated in Model United Nations competitions since middle school and has attended more than 20 conferences, winning a total of 13 awards.
Kovacs attributes her most recent success at the Harvard conference to her experience as a delegate.
“Knowing how the flow of debate is structured and how scoring works really gave me an advantage,” she said.
After graduation Kovacs plans to attend law school and focus on international law. Her ultimate goal is to work for the United Nations.
Profile by Kara Pappas