Jan. 22, 2025
Most people will only ever encounter international diplomacy by watching or reading the news, but one Grand Rapids Community College graduate recently got to experience it in-depth.
Zach Danevicz was part of a group of GRCC students who attended the American Model United Nations (AMUN) conference in Chicago in November. Over 1,500 college students, most from four-year schools, came from all over the country to attend the annual event, which simulates a meeting of the United Nations.
“We represented Romania this year, and being able to act as that country was a really fun and interesting experience,” said Danevicz, who served as president of GRCC’s Foreign Affairs Club. “You’re almost taking on the personality of a country and trying to enact that as loyally as you can.”
This was the second year in a row at the Model U.N. for Danevicz, who served as a member of the International Press Delegation, where he reported on the Economic and Social Council and the Historical Commission of Inquiry of 1948. This gave him a unique Model U.N. experience, he said.
“The typical committees essentially role-play through current issues, but the historical committees go through things that happened in the past, almost like a Dungeons and Dragons game,” he said.
And, as a journalist with the Press Delegation, Danevicz said he was tasked with writing reports on the happenings within his assigned committees, which were then published in the AMUN Chronicle.
His coverage of the Historical Commission was especially exciting because it earned him the award for best written article, only the second time a GRCC student has won this honor in over 20 years.
“I wrote about what’s known as ‘The Indonesian Question’, which happened when Indonesia tried to gain independence from Dutch control following World War II,” said Danevicz. “I leaked an important piece of information, just like the journalists did in 1948, and things played out the same way they did in real life.”
Danevicz finished his environmental and sustainability studies at GRCC in December and is currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in the field at Grand Valley State University.
“I’ve always been interested in nature preserves, so I’d like to work in one of those, or maybe land stewardship or invasive species management after I graduate,” he said.
Though this might seem like an entirely different world than that of geopolitics, Danevicz is confident that his experience with the Model U.N. will have a positive impact on his career in the future.
“I don’t have literature or writing as a minor, but having the award will help with future jobs or graduate programs because it shows that I have strong writing skills,” he said. “Being able to have the kinds of experiences I did through a community college like GRCC was really cool.”
This story was reported by Alissa Griffin.