Two Hunter students were elected to leadership positions at the second annual Global Model United Nations Conference, which brought together some 700 top college students from more than 60 countries. The conference was held August 14-18 in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia.
During the five-day event, the students took on the role of foreign diplomats and held simulated meetings of UN bodies. All of the participants were chosen by UN officials after a rigorous application process.
Jeffrey Ruiz, a Hunter senior, was elected by his 700 fellow delegates to the position of rapporteur. One of only four students named to the coveted post, Ruiz is a member of the Hunter College Model UN team and a student in Hunter’s course on the Model UN. He also held an internship at UN headquarters last spring, serving as a chairperson of the 2010 Global Model UN Committee.
Another Hunter student, Elena Konovalova, a junior, was selected by the conference to be head delegate of Japan, the country she represented. Konovalova, also a member of the Hunter Model UN team, is originally from Russia.
Said Ruiz about his post at the conference, “This is a once-in-a-lifetime educational opportunity to lead a debate organized by the United Nations.” Equally elated, Konovalova said, “Being part of the second Global Model UN is the greatest education I have ever had; as a student you cannot be more honored than this.
Professor Pamela Falk of Hunter’s political science department teaches Hunter’s Model UN course and is advisor to the College’s Model UN team.
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Elena Konovalova speaks about her leadership role at the Model UN Conference 
