By Carmela Drossman-Schlossberg
On February 1, 30 NHP delegates visited Boston, Massachusetts to participate in the Boston University high school Model United Nations conference. Along with Model United Nations adviser Mr. Novak and social studies teacher Dr. D’Orsogna, the students traveled to different locations throughout Boston to visit historical sites, sample new delicacies and, most importantly, engage in exciting debate.
“BOSMUN is one of my favorite conferences because of the way it allows delegates to not just debate important topics but also allows them to experience an amazing city by seeing Fenway Park, going to food halls and seeing historic sites such as Paul Revere's house,” Model UN adviser Mr. Novak said.
Source by Alvin Paul
BOSMUN delegates stand outside Paul Revere's house, one of Boston's historical sites.
During the conference, delegates would debate a wide variety of topics, ranging from climate change and international maritime borders to cricket regulations and women empowerment.
Unlike previous conferences, the BOSMUN trip had a large proportion of sophomores who had never attended a conference before. Given that this trip was their first, many sophomores reminisce over the mixed feelings they felt before their committee sessions.
“I was both nervous and excited for my first conference. I spent a lot of nights preparing, but once we started our first committee, I was less stressed,” sophomore Sanjna Nischal said.
Source by Alvin Paul
Sophomores Shohom Chakraborty and Sharon Xiao research during the bus ride to Boston.
On the other hand, the juniors on the trip were embarking on their second or third conference. Given their experience, many felt more prepared for BOSMUN than their previous conferences.
“I'm feeling confident and excited. It's my first time going to BOSMUN so it's certainly a new experience,” junior Daniel Zekthi said. “Adding onto that though, I definitely feel very confident as I have a lot of experience in GAs and on complex and hyper specific topics. I just researched a lot, printed out articles and did what I could to have enough research. You can't be over researched.”
For the seniors on the trip, this was their last opportunity to attend an out-of-state conference. Going on the BOSMUN trip showcased to many of them the progress they made since they started debating.
“As my last conference, I knew that I would be super emotional going in,” senior Safiya Hamdani said. “What I didn’t expect was the utter joy from watching the MUNners I mentored love debating as much as I had. Although it was bitter to compete for the last time, I ended with a bang and I know the club is in great hands.”
Although New Hyde Park Memorial did not win a delegation award, the delegation’s diligence, hard work and compassion they had for each other were showcased through 16 individual delegate awards.
“My favorite part of BOSMUN, just like in any other conference, is seeing how much our student body cares and the amount of effort they put in to be successful in coming up with solutions to enduring world issues,” Mr. Novak said. “Every conference I am blown away with the commitment to excellence and believe that the future is bright for our society!”
Awards
Best Delegate:
Ethan Mehta, Taiping Rebellion: Qing Dynasty
Safiya Hamdani, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
Kaitlyn Bell, International Civil Aviation Organization
Outstanding Delegate:
Mason Berardelli, World Health Organization
Fiona O’Reilly, Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Congress of Vienna)
Honorable Delegate:
Krish Singh, UN High Commissioner for Refugees
Pari Shah, Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice
Marco Valle, UN Economic and Social Council (Commonwealth of Nations)
Anirudh Arvind, Forum of East Asia-Latin America Cooperation
Gianna Bonetti, World Bank Group
Varun Pillai, Taiping Rebellion: Taiping Heavenly Kingdom
Jay Shah, Legal
Subreina Kaura, UN International Children’s Emergency Fund
Shohom Chakraborty, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
Position Paper:
Sanjna Nischal, UN International Children’s Emergency Fund
Alexander Tomalski, Bangladesh Constitutional Drafting Committee