Seaver College Model UN Team Continues History of Success in Montreal
The Seaver College Model United Nations team has returned from the McGill Model United Nations Assembly (McMUN) in Montreal, Canada, with success to share. Along with the Seaver team of 12’s triumph of competing among 1,000 international delegates from January 28 to February 1, 2026, senior Lorien Ayabe was honored with a verbal commendation.
Mirroring diplomacy work of actual UN meetings, each participant was tasked with serving as a delegate for a given nation within the actual United Nations. Preparation for this role requires thorough study of real-world policy and global issues, which can span from human rights, technology, the environment, and economics.
Ayabe closes out her senior year with an award
“Diplomacy is key, and it is important to learn how to work with others as we go through life,” says Ayabe, who also serves as the team’s vice president and director of education. “Although I’ve been a part of the team only since my junior year, Model UN has become a significant aspect of my college experience. This award serves as an excellent closing to my undergraduate Model UN career.”
A broad swath of international topics are debated in a general assembly; niche topics are the point of contention in specific committees. For example, in “crisis committees,” participants often represent specific cabinet members or characters, rather than general nations, and are tasked with thinking on their feet to resolve an urgent conflict.
According to Seaver’s Model UN president Ryan Linney, a highlight of this year’s competition was the opportunity to partake in a discussion regarding the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). A real-life UN agency headquartered in Montreal, ICAO is located just down the road from the students’ Model UN conference. Due to proximity, this notable aviation organization, Linney shares, partnered with McMUN to host the general assembly on its campus.
An advocate for students of all academic backgrounds to participate in Model UN, Linney notes that the activity hones research techniques and persuasive writing abilities along with valuable soft skills. As the team’s leader, he celebrates the strong presence of first-year students on the Seaver team, making up seven of the 12 members. He also praised his fellow colleagues—Ayabe; Benyam Ayalew, CFO and director of finance; and Tsion Gerbaba, Inreach chair—for their steady support and personal accomplishments.
“Public speaking in any career is really important,” says Linney, who represented the country of Paraguay this year. “Model UN has provided me with a truly unique, diverse group at Pepperdine that I am proud to call my friends. The Montreal conference, in particular, is an amazing experience for our first-time delegates, allowing them to travel abroad, get to know the team, and have fun while boosting their networking capabilities.”
This year’s success only adds to the Seaver team’s history of achievement, which includes presence at the University of Pennsylvania and University of Southern California Model UN competitions this academic year. Participants not only prepare for the actual competition, but they also lead all background operations including the training of incoming team members and organizing travel logistics.
“I'm so proud of the students who have led Pepp MUN to such success this year,” says Felicity Vabulas, the Blanche E. Seaver Associate Professor of International Studies and faculty advisor for the club. “The executive board, including Ryan Linney, Benyam Ayalew, Lorien Ayabe, and Tsion Gerbaba, are truly the stars. The skills they've gained from this high-impact club will help them succeed in many ways in the future!”