By Kimberly Alexsandra Madrigal

This past month, students from Cal Poly Humboldt’s political science department attended two international Model United Nations conferences. The National Model United Nations (NMUN) conference in New York, the largest and most iconic of the Model UN, is open to over 5,000 students from around the globe. Students and faculty then rushed back to the west coast as the Model United Nations of the Far West (MUNFW) conference took place in San Francisco the following weekend, inviting over 400 students from the western U.S. and The Philippines. 

Our school’s team, representing the country of South Sudan, brought back an honorable mention award from NMUN-NY. 

Our school’s team representing Egypt won an award for outstanding delegation in San Francisco. Additionally, student Amanda Cawthron was chosen as a lead author in the best resolution and Kiera Sladen was named best delegate within her committee.

Political science sophomores and Model UN members Ruth Worthington and Kiera Sladen shared their takeaways from their first time attending the iconic, back-to-back, bi-coastal conferences. 

“There was a lot of office siren action,”  Sladen said, referring to the “Office Siren” fashion aesthetic adored by Gen-Z that combines 90s and 2000s formal business wear with a sexy and confident feminine energy. 

 “It’s a lot of fun, I think it’s rewarding, it’s worth it. It’s open to not just political science majors, so that’s a plus. It’s definitely beneficial for anyone looking to build skills in public speaking, teamwork, leadership and cooperation, and it’s overall just a fun experience.”

From showing Dr. Zerbe Never have I ever — Gen Z’s favorite on-screen portrayal of Model UN — to appreciating baddies in business casual and sitting in the iconic United Nations General Assembly inside the global headquarters of the United Nations, this trip was one for the books. 

“It was super cool because we went to the actual UN for the closing ceremony, so that was pretty epic,” Worthington said. 

Cal Poly Humboldt has also been selected as the host institution for MUNFW-SF 2027, with Kiera Sladen as Secretary General and Ruth Worthington as Under Secretary General of the conference. 

Over the next year they will decide and plan the theme and select committees for MUNFW-S 2027, where they will then present it to the president and board of the conference, next spring in 2026.

Students interested in joining Model UN must enroll in PSCI 376, a two unit seminar course and one unit PSCI 377 conference lab open to students of any and all majors, political standings and knowledge. Contact polisci@humboldt.edu for more information. 

Kimberly Alexsandra Madrigal is a multimedia journalist who lives for cruising in her ‘05 convertible beetle, lowballing on facebook marketplace, yacht rock and oversharing on the internet. 🙂