College of the Canyons Model United Nations (COCMUN) was ranked No. 28 in North America this week — the highest listed community college, according to a report.

Best Delegate, the leading Model United Nations site, recently released the fall 2019 rankings for North America, with College of the Canyons ranked highest in the program’s history.

“This recognition is just a testament to the quality of students at College of the Canyons,” said Phill Gussin, faculty advisor. “They all worked so hard to reach this achievement.”

Model United Nations, also known as Model UN or MUN, is an extracurricular activity in which students typically role-play delegates to the United Nations and simulate UN committees

Awards are given out to the delegates that have knowledge on the subject, their ability to represent their assigned nation and their leadership skills.

Delegates need to meet all of these criteria while being diplomatic and staying true to their respective country’s position.

See Related: COC Model United Nations Team Ranked Highest Community College In The Nation

The team faced several obstacles during the semester, with their first conference coinciding with the outbreak of the Tick Fire.

“As we were driving to the TrojanMUN, the conference hosted by USC, the sky behind us was literally filling up with smoke as a result of the fires,” Gussin said.

Throughout the weekend, team members were checking to see if their friends and families were safe, the faculty advisor added.

Then right before the next conference, SBIMUN hosted by UC Santa Barbara, the shooting at Saugus High School occurred, with several Saugus alumni on the team.

“Many of our delegates, especially the Saugus High graduates, didn’t want to attend SBIMUN. They were having trouble focusing,” Gussin said. “I explained that they are going to face tragedies throughout their lives and they won’t always be able to shirk their responsibilities. They won’t be able to stop caring for their kids, showing up for work, etc. I promised them that they were stronger and more resilient than they realized. And so we went to the conference.”

Through those challenges, the students succeeded with the culmination of that effort turning into awards and recognition, Gussin said.

For the full rankings, visit Best Delegate here.

KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.