Words: Chy Murali
Centennial’s Model United Nations (MUN) attended the Johns Hopkins Model United Nations Conference (JHUMUNC) from Feb. 5 to Feb. 8. 35 delegates represented Centennial at the conference which was attended by schools nationwide.
Depending on the committee they were a part, delegates represented countries or historic figures to solve various issues, such as education in impoverished areas, that affect many people around the world. Students worked collaboratively in trying to solve prevalent issues in the world. Two students. Juhi Dwivedi and Daniel Park, won awards from Centennial including a Best Delegate award in Quad Kashmir and an Honorable Mention in the Press Corps respectively.
A novice member included Sally Kim, who feels that she learned a lot from her experience and the other people she met at JHUMUNC. “Any MUN conference is a learning opportunity, I saw how others carried themselves when speaking, what research other delegates conducted, and the variation of ideas that were implemented in resolutions,” she said. The capability of other delegates of her age impressed Kim and has inspired her to continue participating in MUN for the rest of her high school career.
MUN attempts to combine academic and public skill together through public-speaking, debate, and research. Centennial’s MUN has existed since 2006 and currently has 60 active members.
Kim was a part of the Special Political and Decolonization Committee, or SPECPOL, where delegates were given topics such as that of election monitoring and private military contractors. She found the hardest part was representing the country’s views on certain issues of which she differed but noted that, “It is a delegate’s responsibility to accurately portray a country through the eyes of its government.”
Rudia Park, another novice member, represented Benin during the conference. “It was a very great experience,” she said, “It motivated me to improve my speaking skills.”
Nadine Eloseily, the Spring Coordinator of Centennial’s MUN, coordinated the conference for Centennial and was proud of her team’s accomplishments including the two awards and said,“I would also like to thank the board and all the delegates who worked very hard all throughout all JHUMUNC 2015.”
She found the experience enjoyable and was proud of the students at Centennial.
“I feel as though Centennial Delegates did a phenomenal job at this conference,” she said, “This was the first time for many of our delegates to attend a collegiate conference, yet they all were very involved and actively participating in committee.”
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