New Mexico State University’s Model United Nations team was named a Distinguished Delegation at the 2025 National Model United Nations (NMUN) conference held earlier this month in New York City, continuing the team’s longstanding tradition of excellence in international education, diplomacy and student leadership.
NMSU’s Model UN team has earned top honors in 18 of the last 19 years, except for 2020 when the conference was cancelled due to the pandemic.
This year, the eight-member team represented Mongolia, engaging in committee sessions that reflected real-world United Nations diplomacy. Delegates served on six different committees: General Assembly First, Second and Third Committees, the Commission on the Status of Women, the Chemical Weapons Convention, and the UN Environmental Assembly. Each committee required participants to study complex global issues, draft position papers, deliver speeches and negotiate with delegates from other universities around the world.
Three students, Shannon Downey, Jasmine Padilla and Rylee Mecham returned as experienced participants and also served in leadership roles as officers. They guided five first-time delegates: Will Whitworth, Ruben Morales, Landon Gallegos, Gracie Thomas and Devon Harrison. The team represents a broad array of academic interests, including majors in government, sociology, French and justice, political philosophy and law.
The NMSU delegation received the Distinguished Delegation designation, one of the top honors awarded by NMUN organizers. Additionally, two students were singled out for their writing and policy expertise. Padilla was recognized for the best position paper in the UNEA, and Whitworth received the same honor for his work in the CWC committee. These awards are based on each delegate’s ability to research their assigned country’s policy and articulate clear positions aligned with UN priorities.
Professor and head of NMSU’s Department of Government, Neil Harvey served as the team’s faculty advisor and mentor this year, a role he has shared since 2017 with Associate Professor of government Sabine Hirschauer. Harvey emphasized the effort, discipline and intellectual rigor the conference demands.
“I have been lucky to work with our Model UN team for several years, and I am always impressed by the students’ professionalism in how they prepare for the national conference in New York,” Harvey said. “They conducted in-depth research on their assigned member state, Mongolia, wrote excellent papers on global issues such as the promotion of sustainable food systems, the protection of refugees and the specific needs of women and girls displaced by armed conflict and delivered very clear and effective speeches to large audiences. Our students showed how diplomacy, teamwork and deep knowledge of international affairs can advance all peoples at a time when such skills are needed more than ever.”
The team’s president senior Shannon Downey has participated in Model UN every year during her four years at NMSU.
“Model UN allowed me to practice and improve my public speaking, research and interpersonal skills,” Downey said. “This year, we had an almost entirely new team, so the officers and I had to be extra diligent in practicing procedures, rules, speech techniques and writing skills. I am so incredibly proud of the team for working hard during the last year and for doing amazing at the conference in NYC. I can’t wait to see what the next generation of NMSU Model UN will do.”
Over the years, the NMSU Model UN team has earned repeated recognition at NMUN, one of the largest and most prestigious college-level UN simulations in the world. The 2025 conference brought together more than 5,000 students from more than 80 countries, offering participants the chance to hone their skills in diplomacy, negotiation, public speaking and global collaboration.
Participation in the NMUN conference is a capstone experience for many students interested in international relations, law, public policy and global affairs. It also fosters critical thinking and cross-cultural understanding, both of which are increasingly vital in a rapidly changing world.
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CUTLINE: Members of New Mexico State University’s Model UN team in New York City. Front row, from left: Jasmine Padilla, Devon Harrison, Landon Gallegos and Ruben Morales. Back row, from left: Rylee Mecham, Gracie Thomas, Shannon Downey, Will Whitworth and Neil Harvey, NMSU government professor and department head.
CUTLINE: From left: Members of New Mexico State University’s 2025 Model UN team are Landon Gallegos, Ruben Morales, Devon Harrison, Shannon Downey, Jasmine Padilla, Will Whitworth, Rylee Mecham, Gracie Thomas. (Courtesy photo)
CUTLINE: Eight New Mexico State University students represented the delegation of Mongolia during the 2025 National Model United Nations conference in New York City.
CUTLINE: New Mexico State University’s Model United Nations team was recognized as a Distinguished Delegation at the 2025 National Model United Nations Conference in New York City.