Your passport to global affairs

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 previously was the biggest in its history.

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. For more information, click here. 

Above, students representing various countries prepare to debate an issue.

Howard Cohen, left, presented the Mo Winograd Special Competition Award and a check for $2,000 to the Cypress Lake High School team that placed first in the 2026 competition. From left, after Howard, are Ava Ngo, Gus Lessinger, Mya Jenkinson, John Harris, Graham Harris, Valeska Perez, Carter Gurule and Danylo Zacharievich.

The team shared their winning presentation on teen mental health with NCWA members at the evening lecture March 23 at Naples United Church of Christ. Click here for a video of their presentation to NCWA members and click here to view a more detailed version of their PowerPoint presentation. 

To listen to an interview on WGCU of Andrea Bedoya, FGCU graduate who was the 2026 MUN keynote speaker, click here. To learn who won the various Model UN prizes and awards, click here.

Catherine Saadeh of Gulf Coast High School received the Ralph J. Bunche Award and $5,500. This prize recognizes the student who has competed in the most SW Florida Model UN events. Catherine was the recipient of the only summer scholarship to Oxford University awarded in 2025.

The NCWA Mimi Gregory Award and $2,500 was won by Arya Rajaram of Gulf Coast High School based on superlative performance over a multi-year period by a student from a delegation of 16 or more members.

Aubrey Rogers High School Students Win

AWQ Competition For Third Consecutive Year

From left, Jake Burtch, Collier County Public Schools; Michael Finkel, NCWA’s AWQ Chair; Luke Brown, Bennett Bozman, Alex Ewy and Aaron Bozman, Aubrey Rogers High School AWQ first place winners; and Judy Baker, NCWA’s School Outreach Chair.                                       Photo by Martha Williams

Demonstrating remarkable consistency and academic excellence, a team of four students from Aubrey Rogers High School has claimed its third consecutive championship at the prestigious Academic WorldQuest (AWQ) regional competition, held at Community School of Naples. The team will advance to represent Southwest Florida at the national competition in Washington, D.C., April 27–28.

Organized by the Naples Council on World Affairs (NCWA) for more than a decade, the competition draws top high school students from across Collier County to test their knowledge of

global affairs. This year’s championship team—juniors Aaron Bozman, Bennett Bozman, Luke Brown, and Alex Ewy—outperformed teams from across the region in a rigorous, fast-paced contest.

The team’s achievement builds on an extraordinary track record. Last year, they made history as the first sophomore team to win the regional title, and three members—Aaron, Bennett and Luke—were also part of the 2023 Middle School championship team, underscoring years of sustained excellence in global studies.

           For more information, click here.

21 Students Awarded
Summer Scholarships

Twenty-one high school students have been awarded NCWA scholarships for study in prestigious one- and two-week programs in the U.S. and abroad during the summer of 2026. Many of the scholarships have been made possible by generous donations by NCWA members -- THANK YOU!

To meet the students and see their photos, click here.

Five students will attend the Oxford Academia International Relations program at Oxford University in the United Kingdom. They are: Bennett Bozman, Aubrey Rogers High School; Aarohee Dabas, Gulf Coast High School; Zoe Saladin, Fort Myers High School; Austen Summy, Fort Myers High School, and Lavya Patel, Gulf Coast High School.

Two students will attend the Germany International Relations and the EU Program: Braxton Cabrera, Gulf Coast High School, and Luke Brown, Aubrey Rogers High School.

Isabella Peck of North Fort Myers High School will attend Tufts University's France International Relations Program.

Micaela "Mica" Fallon of Gulf Coast High School will attend the Costa Rica Global Sustainability and Environmental Diplomacy Program.

Attending the Harvard University Chan C-Change Youth Summit on Climate Science, Medicine and Health will be Erin Hanna, Gulf Coast High School, and Benaiah Schuessler, Aubrey Rogers High School.

Tufts University's International Relations Program in Boston will be attended by Aaron Bozman, Aubrey Robgers High School.

Georgetown University's International Relations Academy will be attended by Alexia Boby, Fort Myers High School; Zaara Rahman, Fort Myers High School; Anna Fulmer, Donahue Academy; Juliana Dalao, Gulf Coast High School; Sahana Kanda, Gulf Coast High School, and Klea Kocani, Golden Gate High School.

Attending Georgetown University's program on National Security and Intelligence will be Alex Ewy, Aubrey Rogers High School.

Attending Yale University's Yale Model United Nations Program will be Talia Matten, Babcock High School, and Carter Gurule, Cypress Lake High School. 

Many of the scholarships are funded by NCWA members who are major donors to the program. The donors will meet the students who will receive the scholarships at an ice cream social on April 7, as well as the students' parents and/or guardians and teachers. The students were introduced to NCWA members before the evening lecture on April 7.