U-32’s Model U.N. team was hard at work in Boston this past weekend, fighting the good fight trying to solve the world’s problems. The topics ranged from the Paris Peace conference in 1919 to more current issues such as terrorism and the U.S./Iran nuclear deals. U-32 had 11 delegates at the conference, held at the Boston Park Plaza and run by the Boston University Model United Nations collegiate team.
The delegates were Ethan McCollister, Ben Kaplan, Audrey Oliver, Elias French, Eli Pandolfo, Simon Bradley, Ellis Landry, Bradley Smart, Kieran Edraney, Cullen Partin, and Nick Boozan. The weekend was filled with debating and activities. Eli Pandolfo received an honorable mention award for his work on the Paris Peace 1919 committee.
Pandolfo, a senior, said, “This was a great way to practice diplomatic skills that you don’t get to practice in school,” and “I definitely felt good (winning the award) because I definitely put a decent amount of effort in putting myself out there during the conference and it was nice to be recognized.”
Ben Kaplan, a senior at U-32, was on the Convention National, as Jacques Pierre Brissot (Girondist). Convention National was an assembly formed during the French Revolution, it was held the summer before the presidential election, states in France would send delegates to vote for the presidential candidate they prefer. Furthermore, the Girondist party was a moderate Republican party in power during the revolution. He said, “It (Model U.N.) has helped my debate skills.”
During the conference, the U-32 team had the chance to engage in educational debating, meeting of new people and the sharing of ideas.
Audrey Oliver, a senior at U-32, said Model U.N. has made her, “Consider issues from a more global perspective since joining model UN three years ago.” Also, that current affairs have been an interest of hers and that by participating in this club it has “Forced her to assume the mindset of other nations governments, has made her more aware of viewpoints outside of those of the US and similar world powers.”
When asked what Model U.N. means to him, Simon Bradley, a senior at U-32 said, “I think of community, and smart young people being able to come together to learn about how the world works.”
Bradley Smart said, “I think Model U.N. is a really good place for students, the future generations of activists and leaders to get their legs underneath them and start debating issues that are prevalent, and issues that we will need to solve in the future.”
Zach Gonzales, a Social Studies teacher at U-32 and first time advisor, when sharing his thoughts on how the conference went said, “I feel really lucky to have worked with the students in the club this year…” “…Organizing the event takes a couple of months to do and so the learning curve was pretty steep for me and this is my first year teaching so it was taking on quite a bit, I wouldn’t change anything, I thought it was a great experience for every single person.”
Ethan McCollister, a senior at U-32, said “Overall, I would certainly say that our club at U-32 has been a positive addition to the school.”
The overall feeling from the U-32 Model UN team was that this was a weekend of learning and great times. “It is amazing that a bunch of High Schoolers with a few hours of sleep and some Red Bulls, can solve the world’s problems,” said one delegate at the MUN conference. The MUN team is looking for younger students to join as seven of the eleven students who went are seniors and they don’t want MUN to disappear when they graduate. If you want to join the U-32 Model United Nations club, then talk to Zach Gonzalez for more information.
