|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Miami Palmetto High School junior Owen Morris wants to become a career diplomat.
“My experience in Model United Nations has shaped my career goals,” he says. “That’s where I found my passion for diplomacy and conflict resolution.”
Morris is vice president and director of training of Palmetto’s Model UN club.
“I train our students in parliamentary procedures, public speaking, and conflict resolution skills,” he says.
He started in Model UN during the online (school) year and worked his way up to vice president. Club members recently began attending in-person sessions again. Morris has won three awards at the various conferences he’s attended.
This summer he’s going to American University for the National Student Leadership Conference. He’ll study news writing and investigative journalism. Those classes will help him work toward a position at the State Department.
“I learned from someone who works at the state department, that you can become a political officer,” he says. “It’s basically being a news reporter for a small office, like keeping tabs on local events and writing reports on those issues and sending them back to the federal agencies in Washington DC.”
This will be his second time attending the NSLC.
“I had previously attended one at Georgetown from late June to early July,” he says. “That program was on International Diplomacy.”
At that conference, they learned from several guest speakers such as the Council on Middle Eastern Affairs; another speaker was from the State Department. The learning was optimized because of the hands-on sessions on international relations and conflict resolution.
“We also learned how to fund and manage NGO’s in crisis situations,” he says. “We also practiced in a simulation of the UN Security Council.”
The students learned how to discuss the Israel Palestine conflict and how to take in all perspectives on the issue and craft a resolution that would represent all countries’ best interests.
Morris won a Best Delegate Award at that event. He was representing Brazil.
At Palmetto, Morris is a member of the Social Science National Honor Society and a History Bowl team member.
He qualified for The History Bowl and Bee Nationals which takes place in April.
He’s the National Honor Society parliamentarian and so he works with members who are working on starting a community service project by putting their events on Instagram. Morris was part of an Envirothon on a team of alternates in 2022.
“My team won the aquatics competition,” he says.
In terms of community service, Morris tutors for the student run non-profit Tutoring for Tomorrow. He specializes in Civics and Government.
For two summers, after freshman year and sophomore year, Morris volunteered at the Deering Estate Summer Camp.
“I would help counselors in setting up activities for the camp members,” he says. “Things like nature hikes and kayaking to the bay. We had animal encounters and field trips to the Everglades.”
He enjoyed working with the children.
“They are a young group, and they have a lot of fun together,” he says. “There was a lot of team building”
For fun, Morris does foil fencing.
“I’ve been fencing for a really long time. In Miami I’ve been a part of the Miami Fencing Club. I love the sport. It tests your agility, your endurance, your strength.”
He’s from Jacksonville but he used to attend the Deering Estate summer camps because his grandfather lived in the area.
“We had one counselor who was a former marine,” Morris says. “He was an epee fencer. He got me and my sister interested in the sport.”
Linda Rodriguez Bernfeld
ABOUT US:
For more Miami community news, look no further than Miami Community Newspapers. This Miami online group of newspapers covers a variety of topics about the local community and beyond. Miami’s Community Newspapers offers daily news, online resources, podcasts and other multimedia content to keep readers informed. With topics ranging from local news to community events, Miami’s Community Newspapers is the ideal source for staying up to date with the latest news and happenings in the area. Additionally, the newspaper has exclusive Miami community podcasts, providing listeners with an in-depth look into Miami’s culture. Whether you’re looking for local Miami news, or podcasts about the community, Miami’s Community Newspapers has you covered.
