On Oct. 16, Model UN members left to San Francisco, California to participate in the annual Stanford Model United Nations Conference.
Accompanied by Mrs. Alexis Zeman and Mr. Manuel Santelices, the students traveled to San Francisco and prepared for the conference. The trip lasted three days and the purpose of the event was to mimic the actions and goals of the United Nations. Public speaking skills were a must, in addition to hours of preparation and research in the weeks prior to the conference.
“Model UN trips are actually a lot of fun but they require a lot of work. It’s all about diplomacy. You have to write a position paper before the conference even starts and then you debate for three straight days. For this conference, I was representing Colombia in the World Health Organization. At first, I thought I had no power but then I was able to argue my way through the conference,” said junior Valentina Wakeman, best delegate award recipient.
The Stanford Model United Nations Conference (SMUNC) included different kinds of committees including the Russian Mafia, the American Civil War, and the Paris Commune. All of these committees are set up sporadically during different time periods, keeping it interesting for the students participating.
“The trip was extremely fun. My committee was the Syrian Civil War which was tough especially since it is a contemporary issue. Model UN requires so much research and I was glad that I came prepared because. Despite the strenuous hours sitting in committee, I found a way to lead two coalitions and unite the forces on our side,” said senior Madeleine Fine.
The Model UN team was successful at Stanford in both decorum and accolades. During the award ceremony on Sunday, six awards were given to the students in addition to an overall school award. Katherine Cohen, Raphael Hillis, Noah Jacobs, and Aidan Kahl were awarded ‘Honorable Mention.’ Andrew Boas was awarded ‘Outstanding Delegate’ and Valentina Wakeman was named ‘Best Delegate.’ The whole delegation was also given an award, ‘Honorable Mention Delegation.’
“The trip set the tone for a really great year. The entire group is excited to see what lies ahead. Our next stop is Chicago International and we’re definitely ready,” said club sponsor Manuel Santelices.
The club has planned out their schedule for the rest of the year. They are planning to attend more conferences including those at Columbia University and Berkeley. The club even plans on hosting their own conference at the school in April.
