Three La Verne Model United Nations members received awards for their performance at the TrojanMUN conference Oct. 27-30 in Downtown Los Angeles.
Allison Staumont, junior international studies major with an emphasis in comparative law, won Best Delegate as Germany in the European Union committee.
Her committee discussed the refugee crisis and diverse security. Staumont has participated in MUN for three years now and said she felt great to be awarded the top honor.
“This is the first Best Delegate award that La Verne has won in a couple of years now, so it feels really good for our whole delegation because we’re in this together,” Staumont said.
Freshman political science major Fares Abdullah won honorable mention as Nestor in the Trojan War: Greeks committee. Senior political science major Mariela Martinez won Verbal Commendation as Malaysia in the Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee. Her committee, which consisted of more than 50 delegates, discussed gender equality and corporate human rights violations.
Martinez has been involved in MUN for four years.
“We always go out and hope that we win something, and as a team we always strive to be the best,” Martinez said. “It helps to have two other individuals win something. It’s great for our team.”
La Verne’s 21-member delegation, led by Associate Professor of Political Science Juli Minoves-Triquell, competed against universities including Claremont McKenna College, Stanford University, University of Southern California and University of California, Los Angeles.
“In the beginning, four years ago when I first started Model U.N., no one would know where La Verne was, but now, especially with our new adviser Dr. Minoves, all the experience he has and the amazing ways he teaches and empowers us, we attend more conferences,” Martinez said.
“Even with these big name schools, we’re present and now people know who we are. We no longer have to do a long explanation.”
Delegates represented a different country in diplomatic and political simulations in 11 committees with students from other schools.
TrojanMUN is an annual intercollegiate MUN conference hosted by USC. This year, delegations discussed a range of topics in committees including the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee, World Health Organization and Gotham City Police Department.
—Emily Lau
