JCCC and WSU Teams Combine to Win National NMUN Awards
Johnson County Community College |
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Back row left to right: Rebecca Elo, Kaori Wakabayashi, Samantha Poetter, Stephanie Goings, Christine Traner, David Willis, Brian Wright Front row left to right: Brian White, Sofya Galich, Robert Peckham, Mike Fields, Nick Sanders, Brandon Bezner, John Thompson, Calvin Baumgarten,Siu-Onn Chak (Not pictured) Mick Larson, Betsy McLeod, Alex Kahn, Justin Anderson, Rachel Young, Christina Hentszen, |
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – The Johnson County Community College Model United Nations team in partnership with the Wichita State University team won an Outstanding Delegation Award and Outstanding Position Paper Award for its portrayal of France at the National Model United Nations Conference (NMUN) March 18-22 in New York City.
Twenty two JCCC students, in a combined delegation with nine WSU students, competed with other colleges and universities from across North America, Europe and Asia.
“This is a team award, and it would not have been possible without the best
efforts of every member of the team,” said JCCC student Kaori Wakabayashi, Eudora.
In addition to Wakabayashi, JCCC team members are Brandon Bezner (team co-captain), Overland Park; Christine Traner, (team co-captain), Lawrence; Justin Anderson, Kansas City, Mo.; Calvin Baumgarten, Kansas City, Kan.; Siu-Onn Chak, Olathe; Rebecca Elo, Kansas City, Mo.; Mike Fields, Olathe; Sofya Galich, Kansas City, Mo.; Stephanie Goings, Shawnee; Christina Hentzen, Kansas City, Mo.; Alex Kahn, Kansas City, Mo.; Mick Larson, Olathe; Betsy McLeod, Overland Park; Robert Peckham, Lenexa; Samantha Poetter, Paola; Nick Sanders, Lawrence; John Thompson, Gardner; Thomas Waldorf, Overland Park; Brian White, Lenexa; David Willis, Cleveland, Mo.; and Rachel Young, Overland Park.
The Wichita State team members are Deronda Aiken, Lizzie Bernhart, Jonathan Dravis, Matt Goad, Marcus Hedrick, Brandon Hottman, Matt Long, Nadine Sauerwein and Brittany Stiffler. The team advisers are Brian Wright of JCCC and Carolyn Shaw of WSU.
This is the first time that either the JCCC or WSU Model U.N. team has won an Outstanding Delegation award at NMUN. This NMUN award caps two years of success for JCCC, during which time the team has won awards at the last six conferences they have attended.
“We are proud that JCCC has become known on the national collegiate Model United Nations circuit as a consistently award-winning team that can compete with prestigious universities from around the world,” said JCCC team co-captain Traner.
“This is a wonderful achievement and places JCCC among the very best Model U.N. programs in the country,” said former JCCC Model U.N. faculty adviser George Belzer. “It also completes a sweep for the school year with this JCCC team having won similar awards at American Model United Nations in Chicago and Midwest Model United Nations in St. Louis. I am so proud of the team.”
Model United Nations allows students to understand the international issues at the United Nations while building skills in public speaking and diplomacy. More than 1,800 students participated in the conference, proposing resolutions and writing reports dealing with world issues. The issues discussed range from the “Impact of Climate Change on Water Resources” to “Bolstering Regional Macroeconomic Coordination” to “Protecting Human Rights in Darfur.” The conference helps students to further understand global issues and international relations in a forum that allows them to discuss global concerns in an atmosphere that is similar to that of the United Nations.
“This experience at NMUN has been an educational and eye-opening experience, allowing the JCCC team to bond together and cooperate to achieve the highest accolades possible,” said JCCC student Goings.
A video news release is available by calling Wright at 913-469-8500, ext. 4266.
