From January 24th to the 26th, Seminole High School’s (SHS) Model United Nations (MUN) team traveled to Gainesville, Florida, to participate in GatorMUN XXII, the University of Florida’s (UF) annual high school MUN conference. The event brought together hundreds of students from across the state to debate global issues, draft resolutions, and improve their diplomatic skills.
GatorMUN, now in its 21st year, is one of Florida’s largest high school MUN conferences. Hosted by UF, it features a wide range of committees simulating the United Nations, historical events, and even fictional scenarios. Delegates represented countries, historical figures, or fictional characters as they debated global topics such as climate change, human rights, and international security.
SHS students competed in General Assembly, specs, and crisis committees, where they had to think on their feet, respond to unexpected developments, and negotiate with fellow delegates. For many, the experience was both intense and rewarding.
Aarushi Joshi, an IB junior, loves GatorMUN:“It allows me to collaborate with others of different backgrounds, fosters creativity and quick thinking, and improves leadership and public speaking skills.”
GatorMUN was a bittersweet experience for seniors, marking one of their final high school MUN conferences.
SHS as a whole won Outstanding Large Delegation which means that SHS was the second-largest school to win the most awards.
As the conference wrapped up, SHS delegates reflected on their performances and set their sights on future competitions. With new skills, experiences, and inspiration, the team looks forward to representing SHS at upcoming conferences and continuing their passion for diplomacy.
Here are the awards our Noles took home this GatorMUN!
Best Delegate:
Soumya Bodhanapu
Royce Mathis
Rishab Suresh
Zainab Dewji
Saikeerthana Muralidharan
Outstanding Delegate:
Aanya Shah
Mihir Kelkar
Kaysan Janmohammed
Sophie Daniel
Honorable Delegate:
Akshitha Pinnamaraju
Aarushi Joshi
Hamza Rattansi
Andrew Ni
Winny Zhang
Vasundara Muralidharan
Karthiksai Dondapati
Verbal Commendation:
Ritu Mehta
Nathan Agranovsky
Sashreek Vijay
Jyotsna Reddy
Best Position Paper:
Gautam Dronamaraju