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SWFL Model UN Has Another Record Year As 340+ High School Delegates Compete A record number of more than 340 high school delegates competed March 2 and 3 on the FGCU campus for more than $60,000 in scholarships and awards. This year's event surpassed last year's competition, which was the biggest in its history, when 250 students competed. SWFLMUN is an academic program of the Naples Council on World Affairs (NCWA), engaging students from Collier, Lee, Charlotte and other area counties in rigorous, student-led debate on today’s most pressing global challenges. NCWA administers the competition, funds the awards, provides judges and other staff. For more than three decades, the program has helped cultivate informed, confident and globally minded young leaders. More than 120 community volunteers—including committee chairs, judges, registrars and position paper reviewers—power the event each year, contributing thousands of hours to ensure a high-quality experience for all delegates.
A number of prestigious awards were presented at the event, including the Mo Winograd Special Competition award, which this year focused on the teen mental health crisis. First place winner, with the $2,000 Howard and Nancy Cohen Award, was Cypress Lake High School in Lee County. Also placing in that competition were 2nd Place ($1,500): Rollie Crawford Award, Donahue Academy; 3rd Place ($1,300): Patrick Mattingly & Jill Force Award, Port Charlotte High School; 4th Place ($1,000): Bob & Erna Place Award, Cardinal Mooney High School; 5th Place ($500): Linda & Adam Crescenzi Award, Gulf Coast High School. Dr. Ally Zhou won the NCWA and FGCU Fellows Director Award and $500 for her work with the Fulbright Fellows program. The Model UN Faculty Coach Award and $500 went to Dr. Ronald Young at the Canterbury School. The Lynn Knox SWFLMUN Coach of the Year Award and $750, sponsored by Rollie Crawford, was awarded to Elizabeth Smith of Cardinal Mooney High School. | Selected Winners at 2026 MUN Selected winners announced to date are listed below. Other winning teams and individuals will be recognized at school assemblies before the school year ends. Position Paper Awards: 1st Place ($2,500) Barbara Markel Memorial Award, Cristina Marie Peterson, Cardinal Mooney High School; 2nd Place ($2,000) Ron Gymer Memorial Award, Stefany Saldana, North Fort Myers High School; 3rd Place ($1,500) Mark and Cathy Walchak Award, Azriela Contreras, Canterbury School; 4th Place ($1,000) Mary and James Gately Award, Ashley Chen, Gateway High School; 5th Place (tie) ($800) Wyman Family Foundation Awards, Ari Magas, Canterbury School and Luke Brown, Aubrey Rogers High School; 7th Place ($500) Mark Schwab Award; Lavya Patel, Gulf Coast High School; 8th Place ($400), Jan and Mike Johnson Award, Mary De Jesus, Port Charlotte High School; 9th Place ($300), Marvin & Helaine Lender Award, Ann Fulmer, Donahue Academy; 10th Place ($250), Judi Palay Award, Grace Guolke, Plant City High School Diana McGowen Most Improved School Award ($500, sponsored by the Purvis Family Fund), Bishop Verot Catholic High School, Coach Rob Schmidbauer Outstanding Team Leadership Awards ($1,000 each), Gateway High School, Bishop Verot High School and Cypress Lake High School Best in Committee Awards (“Gavel Awards”), awarded to the highest-scoring delegates in each committee. Winners receive a gavel and $1,000 prize (second place $500). Crisis Committee Awards are funded by the Bill Garvelink Memorial Crisis Management Fund, and Press Corps awards are funded by Janet Markel. Selected winners include:
International Monetary Fund & UNDESA: Isaac Garatejo, Gulf Coast High School, first place; Sahana Kanda, Gulf Coast High School, second place; and Giovanna Borges, Aubrey Rogers High School, third place UN Security Council: Arya Rajaram, Gulf Coast High School, first place; Gus Lessinger, Cypress Lake High School, second place World Trade Organization: Luke Brownlee, Gulf Coast High School, first place; Arnav Dabas, Gulf Coast High School, second place; and Talia Matten, Babcock Ranch High School, third place Climate Change (UNFCCC): Lavya Patel, Gulf Coast High School, first place; Naresh Ram, Gulf Coast High School, second place; Nakirra Fadael, Gulf Coast High School, third place Commission on the Status of Women: Samantha Fulcher, Gulf Coast High School, first place; Sofia Babbitt, Barron Collier High School, second place; Serenity Partridge, Gulf Coast High School, third place Press Corps: Giovanni Wallace, Cypress Lake High School, first place; and Isabella Mparaganda, Bishop Verot High School, second place Student Delegate Caucus Awards ($250): Recognizing exceptional leadership and collaboration: Catherine Saadeh, Gulf Coast High School; and John Harris, Cypress Lake High School |
Keynote speaker was Andrea Bedoya, a 2020 FGCU graduate whose early career has already spanned four continents and a wide range of global service experiences. She is U.S. Deputy Trek Director at buildOn, an international nonprofit dedicated to breaking cycles of poverty, illiteracy and low expectations through service and education. She coordinates service-learning programs that partner U.S. students with under-resourced communities around the world.
| Naples Council on World Affairs Bonita Springs, FL 34134 239-649-3942 |
