April 9, 2024 – Our Santa Fe College (SF) Model U.S. Senate team yet again lived up to its stellar reputation at the 52nd Annual Model U.S. Senate hosted by Stetson University from March 21-23, once again winning an outsized share of the awards among the mostly four-year institutions that participated.
SF won about half the awards and honors. Amy Trask (last year’s Best Senator) and Gianna Rivera won two of the four Outstanding Senator awards as Senators Elizabeth Warren and Mazie Hirono. There were also “superlatives” awarded by a vote of all the student senators: William Robertson, given the important leadership role of Minority Party Whip after winning awards the past two years, was honored as one of two “Best Leaders;” Ashari Oswalt was named “Most Collaborative Senator;” and Ms. Trask was named “Most Dedicated Senator,” “Most Persuasive Senator,” and “Best Debater.”
Awards at this event can be rather subjective, and regardless of whether they won awards, every one of our Model Senators did Santa Fe College proud by being well-prepared, comporting themselves professionally, participating actively, inhabiting the senators they were portraying, speaking articulately and knowledgeably, and standing up for themselves as other senators acted in ways that reflected the harsh partisanship of the real current Senate. Although they were not given awards, Miguel Alvarez, Arooba Godil, Robert Horne, Emmi Quinones, Isabella Tombari and Wyatt Willadsen all deserve a hearty round of applause.
Political Science Professor Alan Beck, the group’s faculty advisor, brought SF’s first group to the Model Senate in about 2009 (he’s lost count) and has brought students every year since. He was joined in leading and advising the group by Political Science and History Professor David Price, who was an invaluable presence. A special thanks to SF alumnus and parliamentary procedure expert Alex Hamilton, who once again selflessly volunteered his time and energy two preparatory mock committee meetings that really helped the students to familiarize themselves with how committees work. He contributed significantly to our students’ success.
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