FIU Model UN team wins top award at national conference


FIU's 2010 Model United Nations Team

Representing the Netherlands at this year’s National Model United Nations Conference, the FIU Model United Nations team received the Outstanding Delegation Award. This is the fifth consecutive year FIU’s team has walked away with the conference’s highest honor.

With 21 delegates, this year’s team was the largest ever fielded by FIU and the first to participate as a large delegation. John Stack, director of the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), and Ray Hernandez, FIU Model UN faculty adviser, led this year’s group of delegates. The success of this year’s team would not have been possible without the remarkable assistance of co-head delegates Darwin Rodriguez and Emmanuel Mevs. More than 4,000 students from 300 universities worldwide attended the March 30-April 4 conference in New York City.

“What makes this accomplishment all the more remarkable is that 14 of our students are first-year delegates,” said John Stack.  “I am very proud of the FIU team and look forward to a bright future for our Model UN program.”

The FIU Model UN team included:

Steven Abraham, Cristine Ale, Michael Alfaro, Anamaria Arias, Karlamaria Cabral, Nick Chura, Sara Conklin, Luis Fernandez de la Vara, Daniela Gonzalez, Macarena Jimenez, Maria Carolina Maldonado, Alejandro Medina, Emmanuel Mevs, Jessica Ortiz, Taylor Prochnow, Darwin Rodriguez, Walsy Saez, Iohana Sanchez, Ana Maria Silva, Hayden Simms and Maria Tirado.

In addition to the top award, Sara Conklin, Ana Maria Silva, Maria Carolina Maldonado, and Ana Maria Arias were recognized as “delegates-delegate,” a peer award that recognizes exemplary performance while in committee session.

Earlier this semester, the FIU team participated at the Harvard Model UN Conference, representing Italy. This also marked the first time FIU participated at the Harvard Conference as a large delegation. Competing against universities such as Yale, West Point, the University of Chicago and the University of Pennsylvania, Cristine Ale, Darwin Rodriguez, Iohana Sanchez, and Maria Tirado were singled out for their excellent performances during committee session. Participation at the Harvard Conference serves as an invaluable training opportunity to refine diplomatic, analytical, and oratorical skills for the national conference. For the past four years, FIU has won 14 awards at Harvard, including Best Small Delegation.

Under the auspices of SIPA’s  Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy and Citizenship Studies, the Model UN Program is a political science course offered in the spring. The class provides an interactive environment engrossing students in the different aspects of political and international affairs. Students practice skills such as public speaking, negotiating and policy writing. FIU’s Model UN team has excelled for more than 15 years, consistently winning top honors at the National Model United Nations Conference.  The program is supported by the Office of Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, SIPA’s Department of Politics and International Relations, and the Student Government Association.