The twenty-two (22) Miriam College – Department of International Studies (MCIS) delegates received Diplomatic Achievement Awards for this year’s 71st session of the Model United Nations to the Far West (MUNFW) in San Francisco, California for their outstanding performance of the art and practice of diplomacy.
The 71st Session of the MUNFW virtual conference was held via Zoom last April 9-12, 2022, from 12:00 AM to 12:00 NN, Philippine Time (9:00 AM- 9:00 PM, Pacific Time). This year’s conference theme: Because It's 2022: The Empowerment of Women and Girls.
For this year's session, there were twenty-two (22) MCIS students from various year levels representing six (6) countries, namely Chile, DR Congo, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, and Paraguay, with Ms. Pacita Dechavez Fortin and Mr. Rej Torrecampo as MUNFW faculty advisors and MUNFW alumni, Ms. Hazel Duya and Lexine Estrada as assistant advisors.
All the countries represented by the MCIS students have received the Slanczka Achievement Certificate. This recognition is given to country delegations that submitted high-scoring pre-conference materials.
Ms. Gemmalyn Quintana (4th year, BA ISIP), the Permanent Representative of Chile to the UN, was invited to deliver a speech during the Opening Plenary Session, after receiving the highest scores on the pre-conference documents submitted by countries in the Latin American region.
According to her, “This year's session exceeded my expectations.. I can proudly say that our delegation represented Chile to the best of our abilities. Truly, it was a memorable experience and an achievement of a dream to speak at an MUNFW Opening Plenary Session. We do what we can to make the world a better place. By participating in conferences such as this, we are able to do our part in achieving an equal and free world for all. Now, the next step for me is to apply my diplomatic skills into the real world. ”
Miriam College and its participating students at the conference were also featured in the MUNFW World Press. The article discussed how the students were able to manage the fifteen (15) hours time difference and how this year’s theme: Because It's 2022: The Empowerment of Women and Girls, has meant to each student. You may read the article here.
The MCIS has been sending its students to the MUNFW since 1995, held annually at the Hyatt Regency Hotel- SFO Airport, Burlingame, CA, USA. In 2015, the Department of the International Studies established the MCIS Model United Nations (MCIS-MUN) in Miriam College, which is designed after the MUNFW, to allow students who are unable to participate in
the MUNFW in the United States to experience MUNFW and to give an extensive training experience for those going to the United States. The first MCIS MUN Secretary-General, Ms. Niqui Castigador (MUNFW 2015), recently passed the Philippine bar exams.
In addition to MUNFW and MCIS-MUN, the MCIS Department also organizes the Model ASEAN in Miriam College, pattern after the ASEAN Foundation Model ASEAN Meeting, a simulation program open to all MC students.
For more information on how to apply to the BA-International Studies program and experience life-changing and professional-like learning opportunities like the MUNFW, MCIS-MUN, and Model ASEAN, you may reach the Department Chairperson, Dr. Melanie Reyes, at mmreyes@mc.edu.ph.
By: Sofia Adasa, Nicole Andre Marcos, Justine Beato