THE MODEL UNITED NATIONS NATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

The Foundry
101 Rodgers Street
Cambridge, MA 02142

WINNER

Harvard Model United Nations (HMUN)

Background guides are the cornerstone and starting bloc for research before a Model United Nations conference. College students, in addition to their classes, will spend weeks researching, writing, editing, and citing academic papers. The best background guides not only provide critical information to high school students but also should guide students in the research and force them to address challenging questions related to their topic. Harvard Model UN’s background guides exemplify the highest quality of writing, academic substance, structure, and citations.

WINNER

Columbia Model United Nations Conference & Exposition (CMUNCE)

Model United Nations allows students to explore not only the United Nations system but also a range of other topics, spanning from corporate boards of governance to historic war cabinets and sometimes even the magical, fictional world of Harry Potter. Conferences decide which simulations they run, and many conferences take pride in their creativity and unique approach to building Model UN committees. Columbia’s CMUNCE conference exemplified the best in taking a creative approach to committee design, running simulations of the Battle of Sekigahara, the Yuan Dynasty, National Cyber-Security Triple JCC: Encryption Elipse, 1963 Sand War, NCAA Football, and more.

WINNER

Langley High School (McLean, Virginia)

Due to its strong leadership, the Langley Model United Nations team went on to earn Best Large Delegation team awards at the following college conferences this year: VAMUN (the University of Virginia’s Model UN Competition for High School students); WMHSMUN (William and Mary’s Model UN Competition for High School students); ILMUNC (the Ivy League Model UN Competition for High School students hosted by the University of Pennsylvania); and VTMUNC (Virginia Tech’s Inaugural Model UN Competition for High School students).

In addition, Langley Model United Nations won Best Large Delegation team awards at the following local team competitions hosted by area high schools: Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology’s Model UN Competition for High School students; Thomas S Wootton’s Model UN Competition for High School students; McLean High School’s Model UN Competition for High School students; and Thomas A. Edison High School’s Model UN Competition for High School students. The team won Outstanding Large Delegation at Chantilly High School’s Model UN Competition for High School students.

The team also hosted their own conference, the Virginia Invitational Model UN Conference, VIMUNC, for the 11th time this past March. It was very successful, with many delegates from around the DMV area attending.

WINNER

Boston Invitational Model United Nations (BosMUN)

Boston University’s International Affairs Association BosMUN conference set all-time marks for its 23rd session in 2024. BosMUN hosted over 2,000 students for the first time in its history and featured 32 uniquely designed committees. The conference was staffed by over 200 student volunteers from Boston University. BosMUN prides itself on balancing its educational objectives with a supportive, competitive atmosphere. In recognition of their conference growth, best-in-class academic program, commitment to education, and welcoming culture, we are honored to award the 2024 Model United Nations National Achievement Award to BosMUN.

Mark Kramer (Bergen County Academies, NJ)

Mark Kramer has been a Social Studies and History teacher at Bergen County Academies in Hackensack, New Jersey, for over twenty years. For the last 16 years, he has spearheaded their Model UN club. BCA has been consistently ranked in the country’s top 20 high school Model UN teams for the past decade, winning awards from the National High School Model United Nations, Washington Area Model United Nations, Yale Model United Nations, and many more. Mark also started BCA’s very own Model UN conference, attracting more than 250 students from the New York/New Jersey area. It’s not uncommon for Mark to be at school well past 6PM on many days to train his team and answer questions from his incredible students. For all his energy and commitment to the Model UN community, we are thrilled to award Mr. Kramer an inaugural Model United Nations Nation Achievement Award as a Distinguished Educator.

Nkenge Gilliam (Elmont Memorial High School, NY)

Nkenge Gilliam has been an educator, mentor, and Model United Nations advisor since 1998 at Elmont Memorial High School in Elmont, New York. The program at Elmont Memorial High School was established in 1978 by the legendary founding advisor, Lee Marcus.  Under Lee Marcus’ leadership, the Elmont Memorial High School program won a distinguished delegation at the Hague, Netherlands, in 1994. Under Ms. Nkenge Gilliam’s leadership, the Elmont MUN program won the best small delegation at the WEMUN Expo in Beijing, China, in 2013. The Elmont Model UN program has won countless delegation awards at prestigious Harvard, Princeton, University of Chicago, and Georgetown conferences.  Most recently, the team won Honorable Mention as a small delegation at the Princeton Model United Nations Conference in November 2023.  In March 2024, the team won Best Club at the oldest Model United Nations conference hosted by the University of California – Berkeley.  In April 2022, Mrs. Gilliam survived a brain aneurysm and now has dedicated her life to increasing awareness about aneurysms for black women who are more at risk. She is currently working on her memoir about her survival, her healing journey, and her life after surviving a brain aneurysm to educate others about this silent killer. Mrs. Gilliam is a member of The Greater Allen Cathedral in Queens, NY, and she resides in Valley Stream, NY, with her husband Norman and their son Donovan. She loves planning impactful service projects for women and children in need, traveling, and spending quality time with her family.

Ruby Kofsky (St. Vincent St. Mary, OH)

Ruby Kofsky has been the Model United Nations advisor at St. Vincent St. Mary in Akron, Ohio, for over 15 years. Ruby took over the Model UN club when his oldest son, Adam, was a St. Vincent St. Mary student. Even though she is not a teacher in the school, she has been an invaluable educator in her community. The St. Vincent St. Mary Model UN team has been the top Ohio high school Model UN delegation for over a decade, winning 19 consecutive delegation awards throughout the Midwest. Ruby’s unwavering dedication to her students becomes obvious when she spends six hours with her Model UN club every Sunday, reviewing Model UN strategies, discussing current events, and sharing meals. Outside of Model UN, Ruby is an entrepreneur and co-founder of Arcadian Services with her husband, Kipp. She has two incredibly successful sons, Adam and Aaron, who she will gush over at every opportunity.