SPC’s Model UN team prevailed at NMUN NY and earned the Outstanding Delegation award. This is a coveted team award. Out of 140 schools/teams that participated, only 24 institutions received this honor. SPC topped such schools as West Virginia, Wichita State, USF, TCU, Texas Tech and Syracuse. Given that most schools are sending juniors and seniors to compete, such success is truly remarkable.
NMUN NY 2023 Team
- Hunter Hise – Head Delegate
- Bryson Long
- Caroline Geiger
- Caitlin Deal- Head Delegate
- Richard Pless
- Duke Panagiotis- Head Delegate
- Jacob Brown
- Katherine Uribe
- Jonah Hoppe
- Danielle Kervin
- Felix Nickel
Additionally, Caroline Geiger (GA 1) won a Position Paper award. This is a very difficult award to win as only 5% of delegates in committees earn this achievement. Winning this award requires a lot of research as well as strong writing skills. What makes this even more amazing is the fact that Caroline achieved this honor on her own. Unlike the other committees, which had two delegates, Caroline was a solo delegate.
Lastly, Felix Nickel and Danielle Kervin (UNESCO) won the Outstanding Delegates in Committee award. Winning this award requires promoting inclusivity, collaboration and earning the respect of fellow delegates. Just like the Position Paper award, only 5% of committees achieved this type of award.
Overall, the NMUN NY educational simulation experience was excellent. Students engaged in high-level consensus-building, diplomacy, collaboration, research and public speaking. Some of the topics that our students debated were the Illicit Supply of Weapons to Non-State Actors, Rural Economic Development, Age-Friendly Sustainable Development, Nuclear Waste Management, Artificial Intelligence and the Rule of Law and Strengthening Action to Achieve Sustainable Development Goal #14. Altogether, each student came away a much more refined and confident student.
Our students also had the opportunity to visit the UN General Assembly and Security Council and learn more about the history, accomplishments, and missions of the various organs of the UN. They also learned about the four main pillars of the UN, which include peace and security, human rights, the rule of law and economic/social development. Another treat was having the opportunity to receive a speech from the President of the UN General Assembly (Csaba Corosi).
Finally, we would like to thank Dean Smiley and the administration for supporting this amazing program. Our students very much understand how transformative it is. From building and refining skills to making amazing friends and networking connections, Model UN is an educational experience that changes lives!
NMUN NY Traveling Faculty
Dr. Gyldas Ofoulhast-Othamot
Dr. Douglas Rivero
Additional Trainers:
Dr. Randy Lightfoot
Dr. Heather Roberson
Dr. Roberto Loureiro
Professor Sonia King
Dr. William Fleming
Dr. Bledar Prifti