In just its first semester as a Student Senate-recognized club, URI’s Model UN is preparing its second mini conference, offering students an opportunity to practice their diplomacy skills

Kingston, R.I. – April 7, 2026 – When she returned to the University of Rhode Island after spending her junior year studying abroad in France, Aimee Baguma wanted to join an organization on campus where she could put her diplomacy skills to use.

No such place existed, so she launched her own.

A native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo who now lives in Cranston, R.I., Baguma is the founder and president of URI’s Model United Nations club, which started in the fall semester and officially earned Student Senate recognition in the spring.

Baguma, 21, a Talent Development scholar in the International Studies and Diplomacy program who is double majoring in international studies and French, only has a short time before she crosses the stage at this year’s commencement to leave her mark on the club, but is confident it’ll live on well beyond her time at URI as college students nationwide are becoming more increasingly engaged with politics and political activism.

“When we held our first meeting in the [Multicultural Student Services Center], we had 15 students show up. Now, in our second semester, we have more than 30 members,” Baguma said. “It shows there are a lot more students interested in this and that there’s a real need for this kind of group on campus.”

The Model UN platform has existed since the early 1920s as a way for students to role play as delegates from United Nations member states, debating global issues to learn diplomacy, international relations, and United Nations procedures. Model UNs exist at hundreds of colleges and universities worldwide with many institutions participating in conferences where they debate against one another with a strong focus on building skills in diplomacy, public speaking, research, and teamwork.

Following its official Senate recognition in the spring, URI’s Model UN club held its first mini model conference at Lippitt Hall in April with its second planned for April 25 at the Memorial Student Union. Baguma’s vision for the club’s future is to recruit enough members to host more conferences on campus and participate in nationwide conferences in New York and Boston, which annually attract Model UN clubs from Yale, Brown, and other regional universities.

“It would be great for the University of Rhode Island to be present in those rooms to provide our students with opportunities to practice their speaking skills, problem-solving, and also be part of the world’s global resolution,” Baguma said. “Nobody really knows where our world is going, so that’s why it’s important to learn.”

One of seven children in her family, Baguma and her parents immigrated to the United States in 2013 when she was eight years old. They lived in Rhode Island for a year and then moved to Lexington, Ky., for better job opportunities before Baguma moved back north by herself for her senior year of high school.

Baguma spent one year at Mount Pleasant High School in Providence, participating in the Community College of Rhode Island’s dual enrollment advanced manufacturing program, and chose to enroll at URI after Talent Development representatives visited her school to discuss scholarship opportunities. Her older sister had already graduated from URI’s College of Business, plus URI was one of the few schools in the area that offered international studies as a major through its International Studies and Diplomacy program, making Kingston the logical choice.

With help from Talent Development and its vast resources, Baguma adjusted quickly and soon became an active member of the community, earning a Beatrice S. Demers Foreign Language Fellowship by the Rhode Island Foundation in 2024 to study at Rennes 2 University in France.

“I don’t think I’d be graduating this year if it wasn’t for TD,” she said. “From the support I received from advisors and my fellow TD students and attending the Summer Success Program in 2022, I felt so prepared for my first semester. TD did such a great job letting me know what was available and what my options were.”

Studying abroad allowed Baguma to experience a new learning system outside of the United States while adapting to a new language and culture. When she returned to Rhode Island for her senior year, she tried to find an organization for international students or those interested in the international space, but nothing offered the opportunity to practice what she had learned in the classroom.

With help from Keegan Scott, the director of The Office of National Fellowships and Academic Opportunities for URI’s Honors Program, she began the process of launching the Model UN club for likeminded students. In addition, she recently completed the Alpha Chi Omega Capstone Leadership Program, an educational initiative designed for college juniors and seniors to transition from collegiate to alumnae life. The Model UN club now has 32 members and a full executive board, all of whom are underclassmen and will likely carry the torch in 2026–27 once Baguma graduates.

As for her plans beyond URI, Baguma is open to all possibilities, whether she stays in Rhode Island or relocates for a better opportunity.

“I want to work in an international space where I can meet people from all over the world from different cultures,” she said. “If I can wake up every morning and do that, I would be happy.”

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Michael Parente, director of communications and marketing in the URI Division of Student Affairs, wrote this news release.