NSU’s Model United Nations Team Earns Multiple Awards at Regional Competition

Students representing NSU’s Model United Nations Team at the Southern Regional Model United Nations conference included (from left) Andrew Jones, Desiree Kennedy, Linea Cutter, Vanessa Duboulay, Marco Baez, Nadim Visram, Rehan Sherali, and Mei Pou.

NSU’s Model United Nations Team delivered a model performance at the Southern Regional Model United Nations (SRMUN) conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, Apr. 10–12. Competing amongst more than 1,000 students representing about 40 schools, students from the Nova International Relations Association (NIRA) earned several awards for their ability to handle hypothetical UN issues with diplomacy while remaining “in character” throughout the process.

NIRA head researcher Desiree Kennedy, an Honors political science and legal studies double major at the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences, competed in SRMUN’s inaugural International Court of Justice simulation. Kennedy was one of just nine students selected from more than 100 applicants to participate as legal counsel. Kennedy won her case unanimously—the only delegate to do so—and was voted “Most Diplomatic” by her peers in the simulation. Moreover, Kennedy earned the conference award for Best Counter Memorial, an award recognizing skill in writing a legal case response.

Secretary Linea Cutter, an Honors political science and history double major, and president Rehan Sherali, a political science major, earned the Outstanding Delegation Award in the United Nations Population Fund Committee. This is the highest award within a committee and akin to first place. Additionally, Cutter and Sherali scored a 98% on their position paper, a best for NIRA.

Vanessa Duboulay, a political science major, was selected from dozens of applicants to serve as chair of the General Assembly Plenary. Duboulay earned the honor after completing successful interviews with conference organizers and demonstrating a mastery of parliamentary procedure and an intimate knowledge of the rules.

Also representing NIRA at the conference were Marco Baez and vice-president Mei Po Ho, international studies majors; treasurer Andrew Jones, political science and legal studies double major; and Nadim Visram, political science major. As a team, NIRA also earned an Honorable Mention award for its standout representation of Brazil.

“Given the number of schools competing, the small size of our group in comparison to others, and the fact NIRA is only in its second year of existence, earning the Honorable Mention award was a great feat,” said G. Nelson Bass III, J.D., Ph.D., assistant professor at the college and faculty adviser for NIRA. “Only a handful of overall delegation awards are given at each conference. For NSU to be recognized in this way is a tremendous achievement.”

SRMUN is the largest Model UN conference in the South, attracting a wide range of colleges and universities, from community colleges to small liberal arts schools to large public universities. NSU’s team represented one of the smallest groups, though competed among schools as large as the University of Oklahoma and the University of Kansas. Many of the schools’ teams included between 30 and 40 delegates.

Get Involved with NSU’s Model UN Team
NIRA membership is open to all NSU undergraduate students interested in understanding global issues and willing to help raise awareness of the role diplomacy can play in solving pressing global issues. For more information, contact NIRA faculty adviser G. Nelson Bass III, J.D., Ph.D.