The Nova International Relations Association (NIRA) is the Model United Nations team in NSU’s College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (CAHSS). NIRA recently participated in the Southern Regional Model United Nations Conference in Charlotte, NC. This year’s theme was “The United Nations at 70: Addressing the Changing Landscape of Peace, Security and Stability.”
This was the fourth year that NIRA sent a delegation to the conference. More than 35 colleges and universities participated, including Clemson University, Duquesne University, Wake Forest University, and East Carolina University. Ten delegates from NIRA participated: Leigh Ana Mumford (junior), Vincent Biondella (senior), Chantel Grant (senior), Alina Palmer (senior), Burhan Baig (senior), Danielle Zarfati (senior), Victoria Jones (senior), Nucleus Shelton (senior), Afrin Naz, (freshman), and Brandon Jones-Chow Lin On (senior). The students were accompanied by their faculty advisor, G. Nelson Bass, III, J.D., Ph.D., faculty in the Department of History and Political Science in CAHSS.
The NIRA students represented Spain in six different committees, including the U.N. Security Council and NATO. They won their first ever “Position Paper Award” for their collective score on their position papers. It was the third straight year NIRA returned from SRMUN with at least one team award. In addition, Danielle Zarfati and Victoria Jones were chosen as “Most Diplomatic” in their committee (United Nations Development Program).
At the conference the team was able to reconnect with NSU graduate, Desiree Kennedy, who serves on the SRMUN Conference Committee as a director. She received her undergraduate degree from NSU in 2014 and was one of the founding members of NIRA. Kennedy is completing a master’s degree in Political Management from the College of Professional Studies at the George Washington University and is Coordinator, Health Policy and Government Affairs Corporate at Elekta, Inc.
NIRA is open to undergraduates from any major at NSU. For more information about NIRA please contact faculty advisor G. Nelson Bass, J.D., Ph.D. at nbass@nova.edu.