Whitewater High School students, along with students from nearly 100 schools across the country and the world gathered at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Chicago from February 6-9 to debate issues ranging from the privatization of outer space exploration to the inequality of education within developing nations.

Now in its 32nd year, the Model United Nations of the University of Chicago (MUNUC) is a four-day academic conference that provides high-school students from around the world with the opportunity to meaningfully engage with contemporary world issues, polish public speaking and communication skills, and become more confident and articulate global citizens, under the mentorship of thoroughly trained and deeply passionate University of Chicago undergraduates.

The MUNUC XXXII keynote address was given by Mr. David Axelrod, who is the founding director at the University of Chicago’s non-partisan Institute for Politics. Axelrod was the former chief strategist and senior advisor to President Barack Obama.