Article by Phoenix writer Lillian Stern ’22:
Starting their weekend off strong, select members of the Kellenberg Model United Nations team attended a competitive conference hosted by Columbia University.
After weeks of compiling strategy and research, each competitor was asked to represent a politician from 1999. In their respective roles, they were tasked to maintain diplomatic ties among areas such as Russia, Germany, and the European Union via drafted resolutions.
Debate began once students logged onto Zoom to enter their first committee session on Friday, January 14, and ended at the chairman suspended debate on Sunday, January 16. Committee sessions typically last two hours; breaks in the competition schedule allow for resolutions to be perfected, which is a vital way to end debate once crises have been addressed.
Columbia also hosted guest speakers who offered optional symposiums on topics such as diplomacy, society, culture, and politics to help enrich delegates of the teams in attendance.
Senior Sofia Panek, the club’s Secretary-General, only had high praise for the virtual event. “Doing Model UN virtually is actually easier because we can collaborate through the use of Google Docs, Zoom and Discord”, Sofia shared. “Overall, it was probably the most fun and exciting conference that I have attended. The speeches that I heard were full of passion and concern. The energy, creativity, and enthusiasm of the directors and my fellow delegates was truly outstanding. ”