Has A Passion for History
BY JONATHAN KANE
Oskar Wilander, a senior at Wood River High School and president of the school’s Model United Nations Club, has a love of history. The son of former tennis pro Mats Wilander, Oskar also plays tennis and ice hockey and has recently taken up oil painting.
“I’m really interested in studying history and I also have a strong interest in government,” he said. “I’ve read so much but I’d have to say that my favorite is ancient history, especially studying the Roman Empire. It’s amazing how much that culture impacts us and resonates to this day.”
Oskar traces his interest in history back to when he was about 9 years old and got his hands on his older sister’s Ancient History textbook. Today, he’s focused on both world history and U.S. history.
“I try to take any class that applies, like psychology, government and any of the humanities,” Oskar said. “Last year my favorite class was ‘War in the Modern World.’ I’m interested in the history of warfare because things change and some stay the same. I’m most interested in those that stay the same.”
One of those is how societies cope with combat stress.
“Another constant is racial discrimination against the enemy because it makes it easier to fight them. There is also the search to find the most efficient way to kill people.”
‘War in the Modern World’ also talks extensively about the Gulf War, especially the economic impacts.
When asked what we have to learn from the Roman Empire, Oskar said, “The key thing is that they didn’t have the separation of powers that we have today in the United States. This led to a lot of civil war and tyranny.”
This is the third year Wilander has been a part of the Model United Nations Club.
“There are about 25 people involved and we meet once a week,” he said. “We attend a conference in Jackson Hole, Wyo., in November, and then one in Berkeley, Calif., in March. At the conferences, each school will represent one country and we prepare by writing position papers and dealing with logistics.”
WRHS will represent China, which Wilander said was a daunting task. The conference will have a United Nations Security Council. The topic will be the refugee crisis.
“It will be exciting to have that power,” Wilander said. “What’s most interesting is that all the countries have a different perspective on the issues from us. We have just started researching and there is some culture shock seeing how much China may differ on an issue. It’s a challenge at first to take on positions that you don’t really agree with and we have never taken on something this big, so it’s really exciting.”
Wilander was elected president at the end of his junior year and he is proud and excited to take a bigger role. “I guess what I’ve taken out of the whole experience is a more international view of the world. That’s something that can be hard to experience when you live in a small valley like ours.”
Editor’s Note: Anyone who would like to recommend a Blaine County School District student for The Weekly Sun’s “Student Spotlight” feature should contact Jonathan Kane at jkjonkane@gmail.com.