Two Georgia Southern University students participated in a conference sponsored by the International Model United Nations Association held from this past weekend.

Seniors Marissa McOmber and Josh Rogers held positions in the Southern United States Model United Nations (SUSMUN) conference working with other college students from across the country.

“We had staff members from all over the country from Princeton, Harvard, Stanford, Georgia Southern, Georgia Tech, Middle Berry, USC,” McOmber said.  “We had a really wide range of people to work with, and that’s really exciting in terms of experience level. You’re not getting one type of experience or one type of person.”

McOmber was the undersecretary general of the general assembly while Rogers was the director for the legal committee.

Rogers and McOmber felt the conference was fulfilling working with high school delegates that were learning more about the world around them.

“At the end of the week, you could see the growth in [the delegates],” Rogers said. “And you can tell they had learned so much from the conference. And really it’s just taking something that I am personally really passionate about and passing it down to them.”

McOmber believes the best part of the conference was what the high school delegates learned about their impact on the world.

“The best part is just realizing that high-schoolers can really make a difference learning about the world around them in a very real way,” McOmber said

Rogers was able to participate after a director for the committee had to drop out. After going through the interview process, Rogers became the new director for the legal committee.

“One of the previous directors had to back out a few months ago,” Rogers said. “I was not part of the staff all year like most people. But Marissa being the undersecretary general contacted me and said there was an opening. I applied and went to a series of three interviews and I was able to get the replacement position.”

McOmber has been a part of the SUSMUN conference with the International Model UN Association since her high school career.

“SUSMUN started in 2009, and that was my junior year of high school. I attended my junior and senior year as a delegate,” McOmber said. “I have been on staff since I was a freshman at college.”

McOmber has taken the position of director general for next year’s SUSMUN conference.

The conference next year is scheduled from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2.