From November 18th-20th, Texas State students participated in the Southern Regional Model United Nations (SRMUN) competition in Atlanta, Georgia. At the competition, students debated numerous topics of global importance ranging from the role of youth-lead media in promoting a culture of nonviolence, to assisting states in combating transnational money laundering operations. Of the topics debated, Marie Frere, a Texas State Junior English Major, said, “working diplomatically to form comprehensive solutions for real world problems is one the reasons I love participating in Model UN.” Approximately 450 students, comprising 53 delegations from 32 universities, competed in the SRMUN competition. Participating universities included the University of Kentucky, Auburn University, Mississippi State University, Georgia Tech, the University of Central Florida, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, the College of Charleston, and Old Dominion University.
Texas State students represented the nation of Israel at SRMUN. Team Israel consisted of Andrea Garcia Rodriguez, Aaron Acevedo, David Moncada, and Marie Frere. Remarkably, despite having competed in a Model Organization of American States competition less than two weeks ago, Garcia Rodriguez, Acevedo, Moncada, and Frere won Outstanding Delegation, a 1st Place award versus the other 52 delegations. The Outstanding Delegation award marks the second semester in a row that Texas State has won 1st Place Overall at SRMUN, with Texas State, as Team Mexico, winning the SRMUN virtual competition in March of 2020. In addition to the team award, Acevedo and Frere won Outstanding Delegate, a 1st Place award in their committee. Of his experience, Acevedo, a political science senior and Texas State’s Model UN President, said that “my Model UN experience was beneficial in various ways. I was able to network and a diverse group of people from different walks of life and with different expertise. It also improved my public speaking and quick critical thinking skills.”
