FIU Model UN named Outstanding Small Delegation


FIU Model UN was named Outstanding Small Delegation (2nd place) at the University of Pennsylvania Model United Nations Conference (UPMUNC) Dec. 4.

The conference is considered the fall championship of collegiate Model United Nations. Yale took first place with Best Small Delegation.

Team FIU (left to right): Watlyn Clervoix, Aaron Heria, Ana Portal, Kevin Gonzalez, Jessica Marin, Federico Baez, Nassir Aboreden, Yesenia Alfonso, Cristine Ale, Hayden Simms, Michael Fernandez, Mario Di Giovanni and Manuel Nino.

“Our goal was to win a delegation award and prove that FIU Model UN could indeed compete against any university on the Model UN circuit,” said Ana Portal, who led the team along with co-head delegate Aaron Heria.

Last April, Team FIU bested more than 183 delegations from around the world to dominate theĀ  2011 National Model United Nations (NMUN) conference in New York City. The team received Outstanding Delegation honors as well as top awards (Delegates Delegate) for team members who served on 12 committees.

“Believe it or not, we received a lot of criticism after our unprecedented success at both Harvard and NMUN,” said Ray Hernandez, director of the FIU Model UN program. “Our goal this semester was to prove that our students possess the talent and intelligence to compete at any conference.”

The team stepped out of their comfort zone and attended crisis-based conferences as well as traditional conferences. They started off slow, winning just two awards at Yale and eight awards at Georgetown. At UPMUNC, they took home 11 awards.

“As always, all the credit in the world goes to our phenomenal delegates,” said Hernandez. He adds the team is also very grateful to John Stack, director of FIU’s School of International and Public Affairs; Kenneth Furton, dean of the College of Arts & Sciences; the FIU Student Government Association; and the Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy and Citizenship Studies.

FIU Model UN team members include: Nassir Aboreden, Cristine Ale, Yesenia Alfonso, Federico Baez, Watlyn Clervoix, Mario Antonio Di Giovanni, Michael Fernandez, Kevin Gonzalez, Aaron Heria, Jessica Marin, Ana Portal, Manuel Nino and Hayden Simms.

Best Delegate (1st Place)
Cristine Ale, Representing Brazil: Disarmament and International Security Committee
Michael Fernandez, Representing Brazil: Disarmament and International Security Committee
Manuel Nino, Representing Adolphus Busch: Titans Of Industry

Outstanding Delegate (2nd Place)
Aaron Heria, Representing Brazil: Social Humanitarian and Cultural Committee
Watlyn Clervoix, Representing Brazil: Social Humanitarian and Cultural Committee

Honorable Mention (3rd Place)
Ana Portal, Representing Brazil: Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice
Mario Antonio Di Giovanni, Representing Brazil: United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009
Jessica Marin, Representing Brazil: United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009
Nassir Aboreden, Representing North Korea: Social Humanitarian and Cultural Committee
Kevin Gonzalez, Representing North Korea: Social Humanitarian and Cultural Committee

Verbal Commendation (4th Place)
Yesenia Alfonso, Representing Brazil: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

The University of Chicago won Outstanding Large Delegation and Georgetown University won Best Large Delegation.