For the 11th consecutive year, a team from John Jay College’s United Nations Student Association has won multiple awards at the annual National Model United Nations (NMUN) Conference.
Led by association president Marina Kumskova and advised by Professor Jacques Fomerand of the Department of Political Science, the team gathered for the annual conference from March 28 – April 2 at the Sheraton and Hilton hotels in New York City, where more than 5,000 students from colleges and universities from around the U.S. and more than 30 foreign countries competitively explored and debated a wide variety of pressing international issues.
Each year, NMUN delegations represent a different member country of the United Nations, with John Jay this year representing Jordan. The John Jay students served as delegates on a number of Model U.N. committees, in which they deliberated, negotiated, drafted and adopted resolutions and reports on issues that included the situation in Iraq; the social and economic implications of refugee influx in western Asia; racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerances, and many others. The team’s performance earned a second place Distinguished Delegation Award, along with six out of 10 position paper awards.
Throughout the fall and spring semesters, the 25-member team trained systematically for the conference, meeting for up to three hours every Friday to draft position papers, hone research and writing skills, rehearse public-speaking techniques and mastering the intricacies of U.N. procedures, global affairs and diplomacy. “It was hard work,” said Professor Fomerand. “Everyone on the team has a deep sense of pride and accomplishment for having once again worked hard, learned a lot, excelled and represented our College in an unusually competitive setting.”
“My experience at the Model U.N. was exhilarating, exhausting, yet rewarding at the same time,” said Gabriella Mungalsingh, a first-year member of the NMUN team. Added Kumskova: “It was a great experience and one that we all will cherish for years to come.”
John Jay’s 2014-2015 NMUN team included students from a variety of academic disciplines, the executive of numerous student organizations, Presidential Interns, Vera Fellows, McNair Scholars, and members of the Honors Program, the SEEK Program and the BA/MA program. These students, with roots in over 20 countries, were: Erick Esquivel, Muhammad Rehman, Alexis Castillo, James Williams, Gabriella Mungalsingh, Ofia Ali, Kehinde Oladele, Gina Moreno, Rocio Maradiegue, Ali Haxhijaj, Ossama Ayesh, Kossi Atchrimi, Delion Diaz, Barna Akkas, Lodoe Gyatso, Rouguiatou Toure, Norhan Ahmed, Nancy Amin, Claire Tabuteau, Evgenia Rossi, Aline Shaban, Mayrelis Guerrero, Lashauna Craig, Brenda Gonzalez and Marina Kumskova.
