Model UN tackles National High School Model UN Conference in New York

Model+UN+Director+General+Sasha+Masson+%2811%29+presents+the+details+of+the+NHSMUN+Conference+in+New+York+during+a+club+meeting+on+March+3.+Delegates+left+for+the+conference+on+March+8+and+competed+on+March+10.

Shareen Chahal

Model UN Director General Sasha Masson (11) presents the details of the NHSMUN Conference in New York during a club meeting on March 3. Delegates left for the conference on March 8 and competed on March 10.

by Shareen Chahal, Co-Asst. News Editor

The Harker Model United Nations (UN) team attended the National High School Model United Nations (NHSMUN) Conference hosted in New York from March 10 to 12 for the first time since the COVID-19 shutdown.

Thousands of students from countries across the world gathered together to discuss global dilemmas and brainstorm how to solve them. Harker’s attendees left for New York on March 8 and had the opportunity to sightsee around New York and spend time together as a team before the three-day conference. As the second to last competition of the school year, this conference served as an essential connection between the members of the team.

On Friday, students met with the official delegation from Albania and then proceeded with conference assemblies and committee sessions through Saturday and Sunday.

In preparation for the competition, delegates drafted ten-page position papers, where they each conducted research on the committee and country they were assigned for the NHSMUN conference. Sasha Masson (11), Director General of the Harker Model UN club, embraced the opportunity to try out a new committee as a judge, which involved reading many court cases and approaching the conference from a new perspective.

“I’m very nervous because I’m in a committee that I’ve never been in before,” Sasha said. “As a judge, everything is different than what I do in a usual Model UN committee, so this will be an exciting experience for me.”

The Model UN club also hosted a preparation session on March 3 during long lunch. The session was mandatory for delegates attending the New York conference, but underclassmen and anyone interested in exploring Model UN were encouraged to stop by. The leadership team planned fun activities and games for those who attended the meeting and assisted beginners in building their basic skills.

“We’ve been hosting a bunch of introductory events this year, and we’re hoping on growing our club,” Sasha said. “Especially this year, there are a lot more freshmen we are encouraging to come and try out Model UN.”