Model UN and ProSales Synergies in New York City

When Tyler Kopas arrived in New York last week for the National Model United Nations Conference in New York City, he knew he had a step up on the competition.

“The sales courses and experiences I have gone through within the ProSales program go hand-in-hand with Model United Nations,” remarked Kopas. “The practice with listening, handling objections, and most importantly doing proper prep and planning are skills that translate into success in both worlds.”

Kopas, a junior Professional Selling major traveled with 16 other Baylor students to New York to join a group of over 5,000 students from around the world for the National Conference. Kopas, who first joined Model UN as a freshman, served as the Head Delegate for this conference, which had him selecting and coaching the team. Baylor students represented Slovakia and South Africa at this week-long simulation of the United Nations. Topics ranging from food security to drug trafficking and small arms trade faced the students as they worked in committees to present proposed solutions.

Kopas was one of four Baylor students to be recognized by peers as “Outstanding Delegate” and also was recognized for an Outstanding Position Paper. While the work in the committee is all done at the conference, the position paper is written beforehand, outlining the issues in preparation for the committees.

“The preparation needed with a position paper is very similar to preparing for a sales call,” says Kopas. “You need to be comfortable with what you are presenting before you actually present it – something I learned from role-playing sales calls.”

This wasn’t Kopas’ first time being honored at a Model UN conference as he and his teammate Laura Beth Hooper were awarded an “Outstanding Delegation” designation at a conference in Chicago last November.

Kopas’ Professional Selling abilities not only aid him in his Model UN work, they were also sharpened by the Model UN experience.

“I have extensive experience through Model UN of dealing with individuals from different cultures and backgrounds. Due to its impressive international standing, Model UN has taught me about selling myself and my ideas to people from all over the world with various educational and financial backgrounds.”

About the Center for Professional Selling
Dedicated to excellence in sales education and based in the university’s Hankamer School of Business, the Center for Professional Selling is recognized as one of the premier global information resources for the sales profession. For more information on the Center for Professional Selling, visit https://hankamer.baylor.edu/prosales.