Students Take on Global Challenges at Harvard Model UN Conference

From January 26–29, twelve Groton School students participated in Harvard University’s annual Model United Nations conference (HMUN), perhaps the country’s best high school simulation of the United Nations.

Led by Sixth Former Millie Kim and Fifth Former Aly Manjee, two heads of Groton’s Model UN/Model Congress club, the students represented the country of Kyrgyzstan in a simulation of the UN General Assembly.

Each Groton student was a delegate on one of several committees, including the World Health Organization, the Special Session on Terrorism, and the World Conference on Women.

Prior to the conference, the students met every Sunday morning to research Kyrgyzstan and their assigned committee topics so that they were fully prepared to represent Kyrgyzstan in discussions and debates at the conference. In the course of several substantial committee meetings while at HMUN, the students learned more about their topics and how to collaborate with other students in drafting resolutions that, similar to those at the real United Nations, hope to offer solutions to significant global challenges.

The Groton School students were among more than three thousand participants from more than two hundred high schools from all over the world.—Tommy Lamont, Model UN advisor, History Department Head

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