Model UN Team Maintains Winning Legacy

By Stephanie Salazar

Photo Courtesy of Marc Scarcelli 

Cal Poly Pomona’s Model United Nations received the Distinguished Delegation award at this year’s National Model UN conference, the program’s first in-person conference in three years.

For over two decades, the Model UN team has had a long-standing tradition of bringing home awards from the annual conference in New York City.

The team, which represented the country of Bolivia at this year’s conference, was made up of 18 students and led by plant science student Janette Ly and political science student Juan Montero. 

“The return to the Model UN New York Conference in person was a historic landmark for our school’s delegation,” said Montero. “Having now graduated, I can reflect on the whole week and say that it was a difficult yet extremely rewarding experience that I will cherish for the rest of my life.” 

The team also won an Outstanding Position Paper award, written by political science students Kolton Kladifko and Melane Olmeda for the Model UN Environmental Assembly, which focused on Bolivia's attempts to reduce oceanic pollution and increase reusable products in their economy.

"Being on the Model UN team gave me the opportunity to study a topic I'm passionate about while meeting long-term friends,” said Kladifko. “Going to New York is something I'll never forget, and continuing our school's award-winning tradition is something I'm proud of."

CPP’s Model UN team is one of the oldest participants in the program, having participated in the program for more than 45 years. But the team’s traditions and future were tested when the pandemic hit in 2020. 

From the cancellation of the conference in 2020 to the virtual program pivot in 2021, the pandemic forced the Model UN teams to push through one of its most challenging periods.

Marc Scarcelli, Model UN faculty advisor and political science professor, credits the team’s success to the previous 2020-2021 teams, who both worked hard to ensure the spring 2022 team would return to the in-person conference with the skills needed to succeed.

“This year's team, being the first to compete in person in three years, really had to rise to the challenge, as nearly all of them had never experienced this before,” said Scarcelli. “But they maintained our proud tradition of bringing home top awards year after year.”

In the fall, a new team will be traveling abroad for the first time to the National Model UN conference in Japan from November 20-27, 2022. The application deadline for the fall conference is July 3 and is open to all majors. 

For those interested in joining the team for the 2023 National Model UN conference in New York City, applications will be due in October 2022. 

To learn more about CPP’s Model UN team and how to join the 2022-23 teams, visit www.cpp.edu/class/political-science/participate/model-un.shtml.