The Nova International Relations Association (NIRA), NSU’s Model United Nations Team sponsored by the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences, held the first annual NSU High School Model United Nations Conference on Apr. 4. Twenty-seven students from Cypress Bay High School and NSU’s University School participated in the event, led by NSU undergraduate students from NIRA.
Spanning eight hours, the event mirrored a Security Council Crisis Conference, with the high-school students serving as “delegates” from various countries in a mock Security Council. The students were given a crisis scenario and evaluated on their use of diplomacy to solve the international issue, as well as their ability to stay “in character” throughout the conference.
Students from NSU’s Model UN Team served as moderators for the event and helped direct the high-school students. They also fully organized the event, from creating the crisis scenario to designing a handbook of rules and procedures for the participants.
“The conference was a tremendous success, due entirely to the work of our dedicated and hard-working students from NIRA,” said G. Nelson Bass III, J.D., Ph.D., assistant professor at the college and faculty adviser for NIRA.
Moreover, Bass said the event provided the high-school students a great preview to college-level critical thinking and extra-curricular opportunities on campus.
“Being around NSU students, the high-school students see there is more to college than just academics. Meeting real college students can help them figure out where they want to go or what they want to study.”
The following NIRA members assisted with the planning and execution of the conference: Desiree Kennedy (head researcher), Honors political science and legal studies double major; Linea Cutter (secretary), Honors political science and history double major; Rehan Sherali (president) and Vanessa Duboulay, political science majors; Mei Pou Ho (vice-president), international studies major; Kelsey Obringer (head researcher), political science and history double major; and Andrew Jones (treasurer), political science and legal studies double major.
Get Involved with NSU’s Model UN Team NIRA membership is open to all NSU undergraduate students interested in understanding global issues and willing to help raise awareness of the role diplomacy can play in solving pressing global issues. Many participants are able to represent NSU at Model UN events across the state and country. For more information, contact NIRA faculty adviser G. Nelson Bass III, J.D., Ph.D.