All posts by Gyldas Ofoulhast-Othamot

SPC MUN Wins Five Awards at MUN Italia

March 4, 2025Featured, Model United NationsGyldas Ofoulhast-Othamot

On March 1, 2025, the SPC Model United Nations (MUN) team returned from Rome, Italy, where faculty and students attended the 2025 Model United Nations Italia (MUN Italia) international conference.

From February 24–27, SPC students got the chance to commingle with other students from around the world. They networked with their fellow delegates and further sharpened their leadership, diplomatic, public-speaking, and collaboration skills.

In the aftermath of the conference, the team was ecstatic. For its first-ever attendance at MUN Italia, SPC MUN won big. Indeed, the haul was impressive. Students brought home five awards in total:

Honorable Mention for the whole SPC MUN team
Honorable Mention Delegate for Kazakhstan (ECOSOC)
Honorable Mention Delegate for the Czech Republic (European Council)
Outstanding Delegate for France (NATO)

The final award for SPC MUN was in the category of “Best Position Paper” for the Czech Republic (NATO), one of the toughest categories to win an individual award.

SPC MUN traveling team and dynamic conference

The traveling team to Rome, which before and during the trip benefited from the input of MUN faculty, including the lead faculty Dr. Douglas Rivero, was led by Dr. Gyldas Ofoulhast-Othamot and Dr. Earl Fratus. It was comprised of nine students:

James Bain III for France in ECOSOC (UN Economic and Social Council)
Head delegate Danielle Kervin for France in UNSC (UN Security Council)
Head delegate Katelyn Algarin for France in NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
Alexandra Leinweber for France in EUCO (European Council)
Nikki Ngo for Czech Republic in ECOSOC
Jake Abeyta for Czech Republic in NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
Alexandra Cannova for Czech Republic in EUCO
Emelle Tunceren for Kazakhstan in ECOSOC
Nara Tanvir for Sierra Leone in UNSC

Some of the topics of discussion that student committees tackled included:

Preventing Global Supply Chain Disruptions Through Secure Maritime Trade (ECOSOC)
Advancing Global Security Through Nuclear Disarmament (UNSC)
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
The Pledge of Long-Term Security Assistance for Ukraine (NATO)
Enhancing European Cooperation with the Global South (EUCO)

Furthermore, despite these prearranged topics, the dynamic format that MUN Italia uses allowed students to swiftly move from these discussion themes to focus on and address simulated international crises that occurred while they were in session. This was the first time that SPC MUN students encountered such a format.

Fortunately, as attested by the five awards they won, SPC MUN students were very well prepared. For many, that was their first time participating in MUN and visiting Italy.

One student commented, “Hours of headache-inducing research, many attempts at mastering formal writing, scrambling to make it to meetings coming off of US-19, an embarrassingly high number of open Google Chrome tabs, and the guidance of my peers all contributed to making me feel well-prepared, comfortable, and incredibly excited!”

That is a testament to the strength of the entire MUN program at the college.

Needless to say, the trip was memorable for SPC student-delegates. The journey was made moreso when two of our students were selected to address the audience during the conference and at the closing ceremony.

Security council statement and fielding press questions

In response to a simulated naval incident between North and South Korea, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) worked on a resolution and then held a press conference to explain the matter to the public.

France and China’s delegations were asked to make a statement about the situation and answer questions from the press. The French representative stated, “The Secretary General [of the MUN conference] told me I carried myself very diplomatically, and I attribute this to the skills of our faculty who go above and beyond to ensure we are prepared for anything that can happen in committee.”

Closing statement

During the closing ceremony, the French NATO delegation was asked by the committee chair to address the assembly and summarize the committee’s work at the end of the three-day conference. SPC’s French representative emphasized the collaborative, diplomatic, and collegial nature of the discussions.

France concluded with, “While our goal during this conference was to simulate our assigned countries and committees, it was also to learn from one another and make long lasting connections, and we certainly accomplished that.’

Concluding the 2024-25 MUN year in NYC

There’s still more to come for the SPC MUN team before the 2024-25 academic year ends. After Washington, D.C. and Rome, there is still the preeminent NMUN conference in New York City.

SPC MUN students and faculty are grateful for the support they have received since the creation of SPC-MUN from the college and Dean Joseph Smiley, as well as the overall campus community. The team is looking forward to carrying out the college flag and enhancing SPC’s national and global reputation in future years.

SPC Gibbs’s Eta Nu Chapter Concludes Big Year

April 27, 2023FeaturedGyldas Ofoulhast-Othamot

The Eta Nu chapter of St. Petersburg College‘s international honor society, Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), had a great year. The group just returned from Columbus, Ohio, where student members and their advisor attended the annual conference, Catalyst 2023, from April 19-23. SPC was well represented in Columbus, as Eta Nu, their advisors Jacob Wortock and Kelly Rich and members from Beta Theta Omega, Seminole’s PTK chapter, were all present.

Attendance at Catalyst 2023 was made possible through financial support from Gibbs’ Student Government Association (SGA).

The chapter’s traveling team included the club advisor, me, and the following student-members: Allie Cook (chapter president); Jeremy Phipps (vice-president of leadership); Ciara Cobarras (vice-president of fellowship); and Cheryl Christian-Grant (regular member). Sophia Trojanowski (vice president of service and scholarship) was unable to attend. Traveling members are usually selected based on their level of involvement in chapter activities or future potential for the chapter. Lastly, Dean Joseph Smiley, who was slated to receive an award in person, could not attend the ceremony because of prior commitments.

At Catalyst 2023, Eta Nu was formally recognized for two of the three awards it won this 2022-23 year: The Paragon Award for New Advisors (Dr. Ofoulhast-Othamot); Distinguished Chapter Officer (Eta Nu Chapter President Allison (Allie) Cook, and Distinguished College Administrator (Dean Joseph Smiley).

Enlightening educational forums and keynote speakers

A speaker takes the stage at Catalyst, below a large projection of their image

Besides immersing themselves into various educational forums and college transfer fairs and networking with other students, SPC students had the opportunity to hear from the two keynote speakers, Geena Davis, Academy Award-Winning Actor, who is the founder and chair of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media; and Manti Te’o, NFL veteran and college All-American linebacker.

Davis’s journey resonated with students, as she spoke about her work around female empowerment and the fight against societal gender inequality through her Institute. The latter, which was founded in 2004, is the only global research-based organization working within the entertainment industry to create gender balance, foster inclusion and reduce negative stereotyping in family entertainment media.

Students appreciated the opportunity to attend the conference and hear from speakers.

A community focus

This 2022-23 academic year, Eta Nu student-members worked on several things to pursue their continued quest of academic excellence through community engagement.

First, the chapter partook in community work through its monthly beach cleanups at Upham Beach. Second, on October 28, 2022, Eta Nu held its fall induction ceremony at the Gibbs Music Center, where new members and their families were able to celebrate student achievements. Associate Provost Keron Jean-Baptiste welcomed inductees and their loved ones with an inspiring message. Third, Eta Nu attended PTK Florida’s regional conference in Boca Raton in March.

There, student-members had the opportunity to mingle with other Florida chapters and through numerous workshops, learn more about leadership, scholarship, service and fellowship – the society’s hallmarks. Finally, student-members developed bonds among themselves throughout the year with various fellowship events. They also volunteered at Localtopia 2023, St. Pete’s celebration of local businesses and organizations.

Like in year’s past, the two most important projects of the chapter included the College Project (CP) and Honors in Action (HIA). For its 2022-23 CP, the chapter partnered with Freedom Village and Goodwill to work with underserved groups. The HIA theme for this year aimed to see how the chapter might create STEM awareness for at-risk youth and how STEM project involvement might lead these youths toward pursuing their education at SPC or any other community/state college. The chapter worked with MYcroSchool in St. Petersburg. That organization assists “At-Promise” students earn their general education.

Last but not least, for their HIA research, students greatly benefited from the assistance of two SPC faculty, Dr. Tara Newsom, Director of the Center for Civic Learning and Community Engagement and Education Professor, Dr. Meg Delgado. The chapter also received a $1,000 HIA grant sponsored by PTK and the Mellon Foundation to enhance its 2022 HIA project.

Looking forward to the future

With Catalyst 2023 behind, the work of Eta Nu for the 2022-23 year is complete. The chapter achieved its overall objectives, including maintaining its five-star status – the highest level of achievement a chapter can attain in PTK – through its participation in campus, local, regional, national and international activities, as well as welcoming new members.

In the coming days, Eta Nu will elect a new team of officers, who will have the task of carrying the torch handed down since the chapter was created in 1950. What an exciting prospect!

SPC MUN back from Japan after life-changing experience

November 30, 2022Featured, Model United Nations, Social and Behavioral SciencesGyldas Ofoulhast-Othamot

On Sunday November 27, the St. Petersburg College Model UN (MUN) team returned from Japan, where faculty and students attended the 2022 National Model United Nations (NMUN) international conference. This year’s gathering, which was hosted by NMUN in partnership with Kobe City University of Foreign Studies (KCUFS), was held from November 20-27 in the city of Kobe.

This was the first time SPC MUN has attended a conference in Asia, though Kobe 2022 was the second conference the team participated in this fall, after NMUN-DC in early November. In Kobe, students were able to network with other delegates and further sharpen their leadership, public-speaking, and collaboration skills.

Following its performance at the NMUN-DC conference where SPC-MUN students won the Outstanding Delegation Award, this time the team took home the Honorable Mention distinction for representing the interests of Costa Rica and Mali. This award was won in a very competitive field that included prominent American and foreign colleges. As one student commented, “This was an experience of a lifetime, and I am so grateful to be a part of this team.”

Travel Team

model un members work with their colleagues on laptops

SPC-MUN Japan traveling team was led by me, Dr Gyldas Ofoulhast-Othamot, and Dr. Bill Fleming. The eight-student team benefited from the input of MUN faculty, including the lead faculty Dr. Douglas Rivero. The team was subdivided into the following committees as follows:

Duke Panagiotis and Ronan Howard (Costa Rica General Assembly)
Caroline Geiger and Joshua Brown (Mali Non-Proliferation Treaty Review)
Hunter Hise and Elsa Al-Awar (Costa Rica Non-Proliferation Treaty Review)
Mia Newsom and Yadira Rivers (Mali General Assembly)
Head Delegates: Hunter Hise and Yadira Rivers

Peaceful Theme

The primary theme for the 2022 conference was peace, especially in the backdrop of current global conflicts and the fact that, hitherto, Japan remains the only country that has suffered the use of nuclear weapons. Topics for discussion in the General Assembly (GA) and Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) where SPC students served included the following:

GA:

Topic 1. Promoting Mental Health and Improving Access to Care
Topic 2. Adapting Energy Systems for Energy Security and Climate Change Mitigation

And NPT:

Topic 1. Practical Measures to Implement Article VI
Tropic 2. Strengthening Measures for Nuclear Security

Overall, students exhausted their topics of discussion throughout the three days of the conference and came up with solutions to resolve those very difficult global issues.

Cultural Experiences

SPC-MUN delegates accompanied by KCUFS volunteers

The team departed Tampa on November 18 and arrived in Tokyo, Japan’s capital and the world’s most populous metropolis, the following day. There, the team had the chance to explore the city, visiting the Imperial Palace and the Shibuya Crossing before traveling via the Shinkansen (bullet train) to Kobe.

Before the conference got underway on Nov. 23, conference delegates went on cultural tours organized by NMUN and KCUFS. For SPC-MUN, the cultural tours commenced with a visit to the Peace Memorial Park and Museum in Hiroshima.

The trip to the thriving city of Hiroshima highlighted both the folly and promises of humanity. Students attended a lecture by volunteer guide Akemi Yagi, which focused on the story of one particular orphan survivor of the A-bomb. Akemi explained not only the difficulties in general that orphan survivors faced in their life following the 1945 events, but also how they rose in the face of adversity to live dignified lives.

mun members pose in front of Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine

The team ended the cultural tours in Kyoto, Japan’s ancient imperial city. There, they got the chance to immerse themselves further into Japanese culture by visiting the Kiyomizu-dera Temple Complex and Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine with its 5,000 vermillion gates. The team also had the opportunity to walk around Kyoto and enjoy Japanese cuisine and hospitality.

Altogether, student delegates were elated and humbled by the cultural experience and the bonds they forged with fellow delegates and KCUFS student volunteers. One student declared, “This was absolutely one of the best experiences of my life. It was an honor to work side-by-side with delegations from around the world, like Italy, Japan, Germany and Australia. I don’t think I would ever have that chance if not for SPC’s MUN program and the rockstar faculty behind it.”

Spring 2023 MUN Conferences

Now that MUN fall conferences are over, SPC-MUN turns its focus to spring 2023. Two conferences in Charlotte and NYC are scheduled for early next year. Student recruitment for the two traveling teams has already commenced and will continue until early or late January.

As always, SPC-MUN students and faculty are grateful for the support they have received since the creation of SPC-MUN from the college and Dean Joseph Smiley, as well as the overall campus community. SPC-MUN is looking forward to carrying out the college flag and enhancing SPC’s national and global reputation in future years.

PTK– Eta Nu Chapter completes productive year

April 26, 2022Social and Behavioral SciencesGyldas Ofoulhast-Othamot

Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Honor Society is an international honor society established in 1918 to recognize the scholarly achievements of those attending two-year institutions. The Eta Nu chapter at St. Petersburg College‘s St. Pete/Gibbs Campus is one of the oldest in the state of Florida, having been around since it was chartered on March 30, 1950. Since then, Eta Nu has earned many awards for its chapter activities and accomplishments and is one of the most decorated PTK chapters on the planet.

Generally, members of Eta Nu chapter strive to live by the ideals set forth in the International Constitution of PTK. Eta Nu has four hallmarks: Leadership, Scholarship, Service, and Fellowship. By fulfilling these ideals, the chapter encourages its members to continue their academic excellence. Eta Nu, having been at work since the summer of 2021, just wrapped up a busy year.

New inductees

Friday March 25, 2022, the PTK Honor Society – Eta Nu Chapter of the Gibbs Campus held its spring induction for new members at the Gibbs Music Center. About half of the 58 inductees attended the celebration of their accomplishments alongside their family members. The inductees and their families received a warm welcome from Provost Dr Leslie Hafer as well as from officers of Eta Nu chapter, including President Chad Lance, Vice President of Scholarship Cheryl Christian-Grant, Vice President of Service Elizabeth Hurley, Vice President of Fellowship Therese Leyva, and Vice President of Communication Jeremy Phipps. Vice President of Leadership Chloe Bethune was unable to attend.

Community service

In keeping with the values of PTK as well as the chapter tradition and its commitment to environmental sustainability, the Eta Nu chapter primarily focused its community service on beach cleanup at Upham Beach, in St. Pete Beach. Eta Nu members picked up litter once a month on the first Saturday.

Beach cleaning proved successful with Eta Nu members, local authorities, and local businesses. Indeed, because of its commitment to environmental cleanness, the City of St Pete Beach gave Eta Nu Beach Clean Up volunteers free parking passes for the first Saturday of each month until the end of this year. Also, Upham Beach’s Paradise Grill was able to work with our chapter officers to offer a 20 percent discount as a reward for the Eta Nu chapter’s efforts and commitment toward environmental sustainability.

Fellowship

Eta Nu is not just about inducting new members and community service. Eta Nu prides itself in trying to create lasting bonds between members. For that reason, Eta Nu organized various fellowship events throughout the spring semester. Some of these events allowed members to congregate together outside of formal bi-weekly on-campus meetings. Those events, which included food from Publix and Amazon Gift Card prizes for trivia winners, gave members the opportunity to know each other and build the fellowship necessary for the chapter to continue to be vibrant and engaged for the benefit of the entire college community and beyond.

Chapter duties

The work of Eta Nu chapter for this year is now complete. The chapter maintained its five-star status, the highest level of achievement a chapter can attain in Phi Theta Kappa through its participation in campus, local, regional, national, and international activities.

First, Eta Nu members attended the PTK Florida regional conference where they took workshops in leadership and community engagement, as well as took part in the process of PTK’s Florida Region Officer Elections. The five students who traveled to Jacksonville were Chad Lance, Chloe Bethune, Cheryl Christian-Grant, Allison Cook, and Sofia Bostick. Traveling members are usually selected based on their level of involvement in chapter activities or future potential for the chapter.

Second, the chapter completed a college project around mental health that sought to strengthen the chapter’s relationship with the college administration. Third, the chapter submitted an Honor in Action (HIA) research that culminated in raising awareness of our college and the city of St Petersburg’s efforts toward a sustainable future. This involved having April 22 recognized as Earth Day in the 2022-23 Student Handbook and Planners for the first time since Earth Day was established in 1970. Finally, from April 6 to 10, Eta Nu members were in Denver, Colorado, where they attended Catalyst 2022, Phi Theta Kappa’s premier annual event, which brings together members, advisors, and their supporters for professional development and celebration of the accomplishments of our community.

Thanks to financial support from Gibbs’ Student Government Association (SGA), seven student members traveled to Denver with us. The traveling group included Chad Lance, Chloe Bethune, Cheryl Christian-Grant, Allison Cook, Therese Leyva, Jeremy Phipps, and Ciara Cobbaras. Catalyst 2022 was an excellent opportunity for SPC student members to live to the purpose of our chapter. It was also a wonderful out-of-class experience for them.

Students were pleased with that experience. One Eta Nu attendee remarked, “The opportunity provided to me by attending Catalyst helped me redefine my educational goals and threw metaphorical gasoline onto the fire that drives me to continue bettering myself and my community through PTK.”

Indeed, students networked with other chapters and advisors, learned, and enjoyed the fruits of their hard work during the PTK year.

Eta Nu members pose with Provost Leslie Hafer

Finally, Eta Nu chapter was especially pleased that Dr Leslie Hafer, Gibbs Provost, was in attendance during Catalyst 2022 to receive the 2022 Phi Theta Kappa Distinguished College Administrator award, for which the chapter nominated her back in January. That Hallmark award is PTK’s highest international honor for an administrator. Also in attendance in Denver were advisors Jacob Wortock and Kelly Rich and members from Beta Theta Omega, Seminole’s PTK chapter. Catalyst 2022 concluded a very exciting and productive year for the Gibbs Campus Eta Nu chapter of Phi Theta Kappa.

Election and new officer team

Now that the 2021-2022 is over for PTK, the chapter turned its attention to the future. The election of a new officer team for the year 2022-2023 was held on Monday April 18, 2022. The new elected team is comprised of Therese Leyva (President), Jeremy Phipps (Vice President of Leadership), Cheryl Christian-Grant (Vice President of Scholarship and Service), Allison Cook (Vice President of Communication and Finance). The Vice President of Fellowship position remains vacant at present. Overall, the new officer team will have the task of continuing to live to the purpose of Eta Nu chapter: The promotion of scholarship, the development of leadership and service, and the cultivation of fellowship. This is shaping to be another exciting year for PTK on the Gibbs campus.

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Model UN ends year on a winning note in NYC

April 21, 2022Social and Behavioral SciencesGyldas Ofoulhast-Othamot

National Model United Nations (NMUN) is the largest and oldest ongoing intercollegiate Model United Nations (MUN) in the world. The organization’s annual spring meeting in New York City (NMUN-NY) was held April 10-14 at the Midtown Hilton Manhattan. As with NMUNDC in November 2021, to ensure a safe conference, NMUN-NY required that delegates be vaccinated and wear masks throughout the entirety of the proceedings. Attendees from various colleges throughout the nation and from nearby and overseas nations, such as Canada, Ecuador, France, and Germany came together to discuss global issues affecting the planet. The hard work that St. Petersburg College‘s Model UN (SPC-MUN) students and faculty put into preparing for NMUN-NY since January 2022 paid off.

Once again, SPC-MUN scored top honors. At NMUN-NY, the team was one of only a few colleges to receive the top honor of Outstanding Delegation. Furthermore, two SPC students won Outstanding Position Paper Award, as well. The latter is a very competitive award. As a reminder, in November 2021 at NMUN-DC, SPC-MUN also received the Outstanding Delegation honor, and two student team members were recognized by members of their committee as Outstanding Delegates in Committee.

view of the auditorium from behind, with winners on stage

The entire SPC-MUN team was elated for these consecutive awards, especially since SPC was one of two community colleges to win Outstanding Delegation at both conferences. Indeed, as one ‘veteran’ student stated, “NMUN-NY was a vastly great experience overall with this team than any other. Everyone took part, equally showed up, and made the best strides in their respective committees, assignments, and roles. Through trial and tribulation, we came together as a team and finished as one.”

SPC-MUN faculty and NMUN-NYC traveling team

SPC-MUN faculty is comprised of six professors: Drs. Douglas Rivero (Lead Faculty and Seminole professor), Roberto Loureiro (Gibbs), Bledar Prifti (Seminole), Bill Fleming (Gibbs), Randy Lightfoot (Tarpon Springs), and myself, Gyldas Ofoulhast-Othamot (Gibbs). SPC-MUN delegation to NYC was led by myself and Dr. Randy Lightfoot. Student attendees included Alyvia Hallock, Nile Jordan Nickel, Felix Nickel, Angela Li, Alexandria Lanni, Mia Newsom, Duke Panagiotis, Hunter Hise, Therese Leyva, Yadira Rivers, Joshua Brown, Max Kohn, Elsa Al Awar, Jacqueline Bodon, and Alexander Gil. Angela Li and Duke Panagiotis served as head delegates for the team.

SPC-MUN representing Kazakhstan in NYC

This time in NYC, SPC-MUN represented the country of Kazakhstan. Hence, since January, MUN students learned about Kazakhstan and its foreign policy. Under the guidance of the faculty, they simulated their future participation at the conference through various hands-on activities and virtual meetings, including with the University of New Haven’s MUN team. SPC-MUN team represented Kazakhstan in the following UN committees: UNEA (United Nations Environment Assembly); GA 1 (General Assembly First Committee); GA 2 (General Assembly Second Committee); GA 3 (General Assembly Third Committee); IOM (International Organization for Migration); UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF); UN Women (United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women); and the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency).

Topics for discussion for conference delegates included: Drastically Reducing Maritime Pollution, including Plastic (UNEA), Reducing Nuclear Danger (GA1), Continued Implementation of the Third United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (2018–2027) (GA2), Ensuring Equitable and Inclusive Access to Education (GA3), Migration and Racial Discrimination (IOM), Fostering Digital Civic Engagement by Young People (UNICEF), Women as Drivers of Economic Recovery and Resilience (UN Women), and The Nuclear Situation in Iran: Follow-Up on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (IAEA).

Lastly, while their focus was purely on the MUN conference, team members were also able to visit NYC, including its famous museums, as well as enjoy a guided tour of the United Nations (UN).

Next step: fall recruitment and future conferences

three graduating MUN members stand with Dr. Ofoulhast-Othamot — Graduating Model UN members pose with Dr. Ofoulhast-Othamot.

The 2021-2022 SPC-MUN year is over. By all measures, it was a very successful one. Soon, it will be time for faculty to plan the next MUN year (2022-2023). Since NMUN has many conferences already scheduled for the incoming year, SPC-MUN will have plenty to choose from. However, the new recruitment period for fall 2022 will not start until late August. That gives current members time to celebrate their remarkable achievements, especially for all our ‘veterans’ (Alexander Gil, Alexandria Lanni, Nile Jordan Nickel, Alyvia Hallock, and Angela Li). They will be graduating this semester and, unfortunately, have come at the end of their SPC-MUN journey. They will be dearly missed.

Finally, SPC-MUN students and faculty are grateful for the support they have received since the creation of SPC-MUN from the college and Dean Joseph Smiley, as well as the overall campus community. SPC-MUN is looking forward to carrying out the college flag and enhancing SPC’s national and global reputation in future years.

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