Cal State San Bernardino’s Model United Nations team continued its tradition of excellence as its first-ever all-female team was awarded the top international prize – Outstanding Delegation at the 2021 National Model United Nations-New York Conference held earlier this month.

The CSUSB team, which represented Mexico, also received the Outstanding Delegates in Committee for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, working with team co-advisor Sina Bastami, a lecturer in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, said Kevin Grisham, program advisor and department chair and professor of geography. The team competed on April 7 from the CSUSB Yasuda Center.

“This amazing accomplishment is not even comparable to any other previous accomplishments by our program,” Grisham wrote in an email. “They prepared and participated (thanks to the amazing support by Information Technology Services Vice President Sam Sudhakar and his amazing team) virtually from home and from our campus as they all took a full load of classes, took care of children and other family members, and served as leaders on and off our campus.” 

The CSUSB Model UN Team has been awarded the Outstanding Delegation 26 times and numerous Distinguished Delegation and honorable mention honors in the 43 years of the program’s history, but Grisham said this award will be more special than all the others. 

“This great team of CSUSB students showed once and for all that no matter the challenges before and during the conference, a CSUSB student can compete with any other student in the world and excel beyond them,” Grisham said.

The Model UN Team consisted of: Graciela Moran, global studies, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences (CSBS); Sage Keyner, environmental studies, CSBS; Sofia Alvarez Lopez, information decision sciences – cybersecurity, Jack H. Brown College of Business and Public Administration (JHBC); Gabriela Gonzalez, sociology, CSBS; Crystal Macias, social science and globalization, MA, CSBS; Angeli Richard, sociology, CSBS; Yolanda Rodriguez, social science and globalization, CSBS; Daniella Rodriquez, health science and human ecology, College of Natural Sciences; Darla Rubinos, business administration – marketing, JHBC; Alejandra Drew, political science, CSBS; and Christine Seeger, geography, CSBS.

Grisham also praised the support the program has received from the university administration.

“Without all of that support and encouragement, our students would not have that life-changing experience,” Grisham wrote.

To learn more about the CSUSB Model United Nations program, which is housed in the university’s Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, visit the CSUSB NMUN website and contact Kevin Grisham at kgrisham@csusb.edu or Sina Bastami at Sina.Bastami@csusb.edu.