From left: Jasmine Padilla, Angel Amabisco, Citlalli Benitez, Adi Ghalsasi, James Madrid, Ian Hart, Isaac Pineda, Liam Mitchell, Rylee Mecham, Jasmine Recinos, Shannon Downey and Autumn Reid were recognized with top honors at this year’s Model UN conference in New York City. Government professor and department head Neil Harvey accompanied the students as advisor to the team. (Photo by Neil Harvey)
Source: NMSU News Release
New Mexico State University’s Model United Nations team was recognized again with top honors during the 2024 MUN conference in New York City, earning the Outstanding Delegation award.
NMSU’s Model UN team has earned top honors in 17 of the last 18 years, except for 2020 when the conference was cancelled due to the pandemic.
Outstanding Delegation is the highest of three categories of team awards, the other categories being Distinguished Delegation and Honorable Mention.
The NMSU team simulated the delegation of the Federal Republic of Somalia on various committees and topics. Government professor and department head Neil Harvey accompanied the students as advisor to the team.
“I am very proud of each member of our team for their hard work in preparation for this conference and for their ability to work well with other delegates in their committees,” Harvey said. “They supported each other well and successfully applied their skills in research, diplomacy, and public speaking.”
Angel Amabisco, Autumn Reid and Jasmine Recinos were recognized with Position Paper awards. Amabisco, double majoring in government and Spanish, won for his paper that was presented to the UN High Commissioner on Refugees (UNHCR), while the paper by Reid, finance major, and Recinos, who is pursuing a master’s degree in government, contributed to the debates within the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). All three students are expected to graduate this year.
Liam Mitchell, NMSU Model UN team president double-majoring in biochemistry and biology, was recognized with a Peer Delegate Award by a vote of the other student delegates on his committee. The award recognizes his work and diplomacy in the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) during the conference.
“Every time I’ve had the privilege to attend a conference with the team, I’ve had the opportunity to learn more about what it takes to be a leader and how to think critically about addressing difficult issues,” Mitchell said. “It was an honor to receive the Peer Award because, to me, it just meant I was doing my job as a delegate: collaborating with people around the world, acting diplomatically and doing my best to understand diverse perspectives and values.”
NMSU’s Model UN team has consistently ranked highly, receiving various top awards since the 1990s. The delegation awards are calculated by quantifying the work done in the committee, including attendance and participation. Outstanding leadership, advising and dedication to the Model UN are key to the team’s success.
“It’s a reflection of the hard work of each and every individual on the NMSU Model UN team, and I want to give all the praise to each and every delegate,” Mitchell added.
