Some of Cal State Fullerton’s Model UN Team members pose for a photo in New York, back row, from left: Maurine Mikhail-Yakoub, Justin Coburn,  Crystal Romero, Ibn Kadalim, Pokuaa Enin, Natalie Sadon, Sylvia Guitierrez, Sixtine Bouchard, Henoc Preciado, Lady McDesmond and Rashad Abelson. Front, from left: Armando Murillo, Omar Torres-Vasquez and Amber Hwang.

Peace Seeking Winners

Cal State Fullerton Model United Nations Team Places Third in Competition, Several Students Achieve Individual Honors

April 6, 2010

By Mimi Ko Cruz

Their passion and penchant for building unity in the name of peace has earned them third-place honors at the 2010 National Model United Nations New York Conference.

Nineteen students in Choudhury M. Shamim’s Model United Nations political science class spent their spring break (March 29-April 3) in New York, competing against more than 400 other Model U.N. teams from colleges around the world.

Cal State Fullerton’s Model U.N. team represented Cuba and brought home the "Honorable Mention Award," equivalent to a bronze medal in the Olympics.

In addition, four students — Omar Torres-Vasquez, Maurine Mikhail-Yakoub, Henoc Preciado and Amber Hwang — were chosen for individual distinction and were named best in their committee.

Torres-Vasquez and Mikhail-Yakoub were named best of the biggest conference committee, the General Assembly Plenary.

In addition, Torres-Vasquez, the university's Model U.N. Club president and team head delegate, was named chairman of his committee, which tackled the topics of developing information and communication technologies, promoting low-carbon economic growth and protecting developing countries during the current financial crisis.

Mikhail-Yakoub was named vice president of the General Assembly Plenary session when the delegates held a committee session in the actual United Nations building Saturday (April 3).

Hwang and Preciado brought home top honors in their committee, which discussed changing market policies to address hunger.

“Creating new policies would mean nothing to Cuba if the embargo remained as status quo, leaving the country with limited access to the international market,” Hwang said. “It was our priority to convince other delegations to include a clause regarding removal of the embargo, and almost every delegation in my committee, UN World Food Programme, agreed to mention the removal of the U.S. embargo from Cuba. Moreover, Henoc and I sponsored three different working reports, which was remarkable when considering that two usually is the maximum you can sponsor. We were very successful in getting our points across.”

Added Preciado: “Other nations came to us for advice and to be certain that resolutions that were being drafted were in accordance with their political ideologies.”

Mikhail-Yakoub and Torres-Vazquez, who were in the biggest committee at the conference, said they found it exhilarating and enlightening.

“I learned a lot and made many new friends,” Mikhail-Yakoub said.

The students said the experience taught them the art of negotiation and what it takes to bring about positive change through diplomacy.

“I also learned what it means to be empathetic,” Hwang said. “Because all of us delegates had different schedules and different priorities, we had to force ourselves to work cooperatively and collectively in order to bring about the best results.”

She and the other Model U.N. team members said the class and competition has greatly improved their negotiation and public speaking skills.

“There is no doubt in my mind that the lessons I have learned from my participation with Model United Nations will carry on with me for the rest of my life,” Torres-Vasquez said. “Model U.N. has prepared me for the challenges ahead. I wish to pursue the long path toward a Ph.D in world affairs and I believe that Model U.N. has given me an edge toward that realization.”

“I am very proud of our delegates,” said Dave Milbrandt, Shamim’s teaching assistant and team assistant coach. “We brought home a ‘bronze’ in the over-all competition, and several students delivered golden performances. Before the team left for New York, I reminded them my greatest desire was that they transform themselves into diplomats, and they did. They represented Cal State Fullerton well.”

Indeed, said Shamim, despite that the team had only half of this spring semester to practice.

His class, once a year-long course, was cut to one semester due to budget cuts, said Shamim, who was a delegate of Bangladesh at the 34th session of the United Nations General Assembly 31 years ago.

The team performed outstandingly, Shamim said. This was his 21st year taking his class to the New York competition. He serves as the team’s coach. Each year, his class brings home a top team award.

Cal State Fullerton’s winning Model U.N. team members, their majors and their cities of residence are:

• Rashad Abelson, political science and business administration, Corona
• Sixtine Bouchard, political science, France
• Justin Coburn, political science, Fullerton
• Pokuaa Enin, political science and criminal justice, Fullerton
• Sylvia Gutierrez, political science, Bell Gardens
• Suly Hilario, political science, Norwalk
• Amber Hwang, political science, Fullerton
• Ibn Kadalim, political science, Anaheim
• Andrele King, political science, Moreno Valley
• Elliot Lam, political science, Huntington Beach
• Lady McDesmond, communications, Diamond Bar
• Maurine Mikhail-Yakoub, political science, Egypt
• Armando Murillo, political science, Apple Valley
• Jennifer Nakamura, communications, Cerritos
• Henoc Preciado, English, Norwalk
• Crystal Romero, political science, Walnut
• Natalie Sadon, political science, Sweden
• Omar Torres-Vasquez, political science, Placentia
• Angel Welchor, political science, Long Beach

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