The thought of standing up in a room full of strangers can seem frightening at first, especially if you’re inexperienced, overwhelmed, and very nervous. This is exactly how I felt upon entering my committee room at Duxbury High School for my first Model UN conference a couple of weeks ago.

Students from all over Massachusetts attended the Duxbury High conference to contribute their ideas to various committees working to create a resolution. Because there are so many different committees to choose from, there’s almost always one that you’ll be interested in. At Duxbury, there was even a Harry Potter and the Legality of Dragons committee!

I was on the South African Water Crisis committee, representing Egypt, along with Model UN club leader Lily Wei ‘20, who delegated as a diplomat from China. Participating at Duxbury High was a new experience for me, although I had been at the mini-conference with Xaverian in the fall. At first, I was so nervous that I spilled coffee all over my white blouse. But throughout the conference, I spoke with other committee members who shared similar opinions with me about the topic. For example, I discussed cloud-seeding with the delegate representing Iraq, and we both agreed that it was definitely not a good idea.

These discussions made the conference more enjoyable, because I knew that everyone in the room was there to give their opinions on an issue they felt passionate about. By the end of the day, I had met so many people. Most of the delegates on my committee were freshmen or sophomores, so everyone was fairly new to Model UN. The Duxbury High School Model UN conference was an amazing experience, and I hope that I have the opportunity to participate again next year.

Nine Montrosians attended the Duxbury High School Model UN conference. We separated into a number of different committees. Many Montrosians attending were new to Model UN, so Duxbury was a great opportunity to develop our skills and step out of our comfort zones.  

“I loved the conference because I got the chance to escape my comfort zone and to improve my English,” said Leticia Miranda ‘20, an international student who was a member of her Model UN club at her high school in Brazil. “It was such a great opportunity.” Spandana Vagwala ‘22 added: “I loved my committee and the overall experience was so fun. I really enjoyed my first Model UN conference.”

Congratulations to Leticia Miranda ‘20, Caroline Churney ‘19, and Naomi Jaenicke ‘20 who each won awards for their amazing performances at the conference!