Manhattan College Model UN Delegation Awarded Distinguished Delegation Award

Team Members Represented Dominican Republic at 2024 Conference.

Manhattan College is pleased to announce that its Model UN team was honored with a Distinguished Delegation Award at the 2024 National Model United Nations Conference. Under the guidance of Dr. Pamela Chasek, a Manhattan College Political Science Professor and long-time Model UN mentor, the week-long conference held in midtown Manhattan saw over 2700 participants from over 60 countries.Model UN student participants at the 2024 Conference

Manhattan College’s delegation consisted of 18 students from freshmen to seniors, and this year represented the Dominican Republic with topics ranging from Social Inclusion of the Elderly, the Promotion of Sustainable Tourism, the Role of Science and Technology in International Security and Disarmament, and Promoting Gender Equality in Access to Healthcare.

In preparing for and during the Conference itself, the students delved deeply into their designated country’s history, political and legal systems, economy, and social structure focusing on how to defend that country’s position on various issues. In session for up to nine hours daily, the students worked on their topics from early morning until late in the evening, negotiating draft resolutions, submitting the agreed-upon resolutions, and voting.

Said Dr. Chasek, “Not only do the students learn about a given country and defending its positions on various topics, but they develop life skills from negotiating techniques and public speaking to building overall confidence and working with and respecting those from different cultures. While many of our Model UN students are political science and international studies majors, our delegation included students with a wide diversity of majors and minors – a testament to the solid liberal arts education that our students receive at Manhattan College.”

Dr. Milo Riverso, President of Manhattan College, had the opportunity to attend part of the conference. “Seeing our students participate at such a high level under time sensitive and often stressful conditions, made me so proud of what they have accomplished. Under Pam’s knowledgeable and enthusiastic leadership, the students have brought a great deal of pride to our entire College community,” he said.

According to the National Model UN website, “…the United Nations supports Model UN simulations by building and maintaining strong links between the UN and Model UN participants. It does this by sharing first-hand knowledge about the work of the UN at Model UN conferences; providing guidance with organizers to create accurate and authentic simulations; and encouraging Model UN clubs to take concrete action to support UN values and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”

Manhattan College participants and their accompanying hometowns included:

  • Chris Belden – Fairfield, CT
  • Audrey Daniels – Shelby, AL
  • Martina Eichhorn – Cary, IL
  • Vaiden Ferraro – Saugerties, NY
  • Laila Glover – Bear, DE
  • Synne Iversen Kverndal – Porsgrunn, Norway
  • Ishaan Jani – South Plainfield, NJ
  • Paris Lecleir – San Mateo, CA
  • Mohammed Matabbar – Queens, NY
  • Leyla Mercado – Bronx, NY
  • Montserrat Nicasio Tavarez – Fort Lee, NJ
  • Alexander Nichols –Phoenix, AZ
  • Eric O’Brien – Putnam, NY
  • Jazi Riley – Lakeland, FL
  • Diego Santos – New York, NY
  • Kathryn Slotterback – Harrisburg, PA
  • Rachel Villa – Ridgefield Park, NJ
  • Tyla-Rae Washington-Boone – Emerson, NJ
By MC Staff