Model UN Club Attends Conference At Stanford University

The John F. Kennedy High School Model United Nations (MUN) Club recently attended a conference at Stanford University (SMUNC), where they honed their delegate skills and made new connections. Fifteen delegates from Kennedy commute to Stanford over the course of three days. The renowned conference itself is hosted by Stanford, a top college, with teams traveling from across the country to participate.

The JFK MUN team has been growing its membership and emphasizes the importance of preparation and collaboration.

“...I think it’s great to see students engage with international issues, work on their research skills, and collaborate with others in conferences that they might know to build connections,” stated Mr. Jung, MUN club advisor. “I think it’s really good for them.”

To prepare for such conferences, the club dedicates much time and hosts frequent meetings to get as much practice in as possible.

Shanvi Gupta (10) and Vrishank Arun (10) won Honorable Delegate Award at SMUNC, acting as double delegates. They were assigned a country to embody and in the committee, they worked cooperatively to debate and draft resolutions pertinent to their committee.

”Me and my double delegate has worked super hard. There was a fight in our bloc so we were worried that it would cost us an award but when we heard our name called at closing ceremony was one of my best memories of sophomore year so far… I couldn’t stop smiling for like half an hour,” Gupta expressed.

“What we usually do is about two weeks or a month before the conference, we start preparing our research paper and prompts to help us talk during speeches so that we can have a basic idea of what is going on,” stated Arun.

Students often choose to become Model UN delegates and participate in the club to practice their public speaking skills and become more confident in their presentation skills.

Model UN President, Khanh Do (12), explained what benefits he thinks the club offers.

“I think that the skills from Model UN can be beneficial for every career. You’re going to have to talk in front of people, and present, and be charismatic when you do. [In Model UN] you also network with people, you have to be confident, and you have to become skilled with your words,” said Do.

Arun also described his experience of how Model UN improved his speech skills.

“Participating in MUN has really improved my speech and debate skills and public speaking,” remarked Arun. “Before MUN, I wasn’t able to project my voice properly or speak without stuttering, but through practicing with MUN, I am able to speak confidently.”

Although awards are presented at conferences, the JFK Model UN team says they do not focus on chasing awards and attend for the learning opportunities.

“I think that it’s [winning awards] not the only thing you should care about. It’s hard to win awards, especially at big conferences,” stated Jung. “It should be more about the process and understanding. Whether you win an award or not, I really think the value is building skills and making connections and understanding the world and global perspectives better.”

Arun echoed a similar statement, saying that even though he was able to receive an award, it wasn’t what he went to the conference for.

“Winning an award wasn’t much of a big motivator for me. I was mainly looking forward to the experience since I have never done a MUN conference before. Winning an award was a nice added bonus, but I just wanted a good experience,” explained Arun.

Nevertheless, having awards on the line always raises the stakes, but the MUN members don’t let it get in the way of being supportive.

“The atmosphere is really competitive, but everyone is really nice and supportive,” remarked Arun. “Even though you may make mistakes, it is not frowned upon.”

“I am proud that they gave it their best. It was our first conference of the year, so I just wanted them to do their best,” stated Do.

As delegates continue to prepare for future conferences, the Kennedy Model UN club hopes to expand participation and encourage others to collaborate and learn about world affairs.

Photo from Khanh Do | JFK Model UN poses in front of Memorial Church.