Collaboration and Power Plays, as Groton Attends Harvard Model Congress

Tommy Lamont

Chuck Schumer had a busy weekend in Boston recently. Senate Majority Leader Schumer—or rather his stand-in at Harvard Model Congress, Fifth Former Griffin Gura—hit the ground running on Thursday, February 23, helping draft legislation in the first meeting of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee. Over four days, Griffin and eleven other Groton students joined roughly 1,500 students from around the country to participate in one of the best simulations for high schoolers of the United States Federal government.

Fourth Formers Sagata Das and Alex Newman patiently collaborated across the aisle in the Senate Finance Committee as Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Richard Burr (R-NC) respectively. Sixth Former Zola Sayers-Fay portrayed Rahul Gupta, President Biden’s director of National Drug Control, on a simulation of the United States National Security Council. Julia Landau ’25 worked tirelessly to promote the Republican National Committee’s agenda as the RNC campaign committee chair. Amelia Barnum ’24 was awarded “Best Delegate” for her effective work on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee as John Hoeven (R-ND).

Other members of Groton’s delegation acquitted themselves very well, making good use of the many hours of preparation they put in before attending the conference. They came away better informed about how Congress and the other branches of the federal government work, and perhaps more optimistic about the efficacy and importance of our democratic system. Fifth Former Andres Palacios, who identifies as a liberal Democrat, said of the experience, “It was fun playing a Republican. And I learned a lot.”

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