The Cal State San Bernardino Model United Nations program continued its tradition of excellence at the recent National Model United Nations Conference in New York City, bringing home a Distinguished Delegation Award.

The CSUSB delegations represented the Republic of Guinea-Bissau and the Republic of Vanuatu and received the award in the UN’s General Assembly Hall at the end of the annual conference, which was held April 13-17.

CSUSB Model UN graphic

The New York conference is the largest and oldest of the Model UN gatherings, taking place over two sessions (April 6-10 and April 13-17) with more than 3,000 students from more than 120 countries participating. The mission of the national program is to advance understanding of the UN and contemporary global issues through quality educational programs that emphasize collaboration and cooperative conflict resolution and prepare participants for active global citizenship.

The university has participated in the NMUN conferences for 48 years, and for the past 33, the team has been honored with either a Distinguished Delegation or Outstanding Delegation award, the top recognitions bestowed by the NMUN.

The CSUSB Model UN program is designed to develop its student delegates’ leadership skills, give them a broader perspective of the world, and provide them with a high level of professionalism in their chosen careers. Student delegates come from all academic disciplines.

This year’s team was led by Eric Lowe, CSUSB lecturer in geography and lead instructor and team coordinator, as well as program co-coordinators Anahid Modrek, assistant professor of psychology, and Kevin Grisham, professor of global studies. This year’s award-winning delegates included:

Republic of Guinea-Bissau Delegation

  • Pedro Hernandez, program assistant/head delegate, graduate, social science and globalization major
  • Caleb Bazemore, undergraduate, communication and media studies major
  • Jose Munoz, graduate, criminal justice major
  • Michael McCall, post-baccalaureate, social science single-subject credential program
  • Isaac Davila-Guzman, undergraduate, psychology major
  • Smrithi Rao, undergraduate, pre-biological psychology major
  • Sarai Ramirez, undergraduate, creative writing major
  • Karen Terrero, undergraduate, international business major
  • Priscilla Gutierrez, undergraduate, political science and criminal justice major
  • Moises Leon, post-baccalaureate, history single-subject credential program

Republic of Vanuatu Delegation

  • Robert Martinez-Velasco, program assistant/head delegate, undergraduate, cybersecurity major
  • Priscilla Dominguez, undergraduate, history major
  • Jaquelin Nunez, undergraduate, criminal justice major
  • Luis Fernando-Lizama, undergraduate, history major
  • Katherine Landrum, undergraduate, kinesiology major
  • Christopher Soriano, undergraduate, environmental systems major
  • Ashey Gomez-Llamas, undergraduate, public history major
  • Priscilla Gutierrez, undergraduate, political science and criminal justice major
  • Evelia Cruz, undergraduate, interface design major
  • Natalie Bom, undergraduate, English major

Lowe is a CSUSB alumnus (B.A. ’17, history; M.A. ’19, social sciences and globalization) who participated in the Model UN as a student from 2016-19. In addition to serving as the CSUSB team’s lead instructor and coordinator, he also served as the under-secretary general of the General Assembly during the first session of the 2025 NMUN-NYC Conference.

Student delegates from CSUSB in the United Nation's Great Assembly Hall.
Student delegates from CSUSB in the United Nation's Great Assembly Hall.

Grisham, also a CSUSB alumnus (B.A. ’97, criminal justice), was deeply involved in the university’s MUN program as a student. This year marked his 30th year of participation in the conference, which he credits — along with CSUSB — as instrumental to his professional success.

“My grandfather had only a third-grade education and came from a sharecropper family in the Deep South. It is because of CSUSB’s MUN that I’ve had the opportunity to become a professor, associate dean and interim associate provost at this university,” he said, reflecting on his career. “During the April conference, I shared with our students that, from an alumni perspective, MUN truly changed my life — and I hope it does the same for them.”

And one major change to CSUSB’s MUN program is its expansion to the Palm Desert Campus this fall. For the first time in the program’s 52-year history, the university will offer dedicated in-person MUN programs at both the main campus and Palm Desert Campus. Each campus will host in-person sessions on alternating weeks, while students from both locations will come together for a shared virtual program on rotating weeks — creating a collaborative, equitable, hybrid-learning experience across both sites. Joint practices with the teams from both CSUSB campuses will be held in early November and the public is invited to attend.

Grisham said the teams from both campuses will be preparing for and competing in the NMUN Canada conference in Banff, Alberta, from Nov. 23-29. The team from the main campus will represent Mexico and the team from PDC will  represent Morocco.