McLean’s national Model UN team traveled to New York City from Jan. 16 to Jan. 19 to compete in the Columbia Model United Nations Conference and Exposition (CMUNCE), earning the title of Best Large Delegation.
“Model UN is not just about who the best speaker is or how charismatic you are, but it’s more about the commitment you put in and how capable you are of leading the people with you,” junior Daniel Kim said. “The leaders we have at McLean are very devoted, and they did a very good job in their respective committees at Columbia University, so I think that’s what gave us the Best Large Delegation award.”
Individual team members represented McLean in various committees, where they engaged in diplomacy and discussions with other delegates.
“I got to meet various friends from all over the world and just working together with them served as a very good experience,” Kim said.
After winning numerous awards at both CMUNCE and UVA’s national conference in October, McLean Model UN hopes to continue their streak of success at the North American Invitational Model United Nations (NAIMUN) in Georgetown.
“My hopes for the team is for a three-peat because, for the last two conferences, we won best delegation awards, and I want to keep that up at possibly the largest conference in the eastern half of the U.S.,” junior Jad Osta said. “I've never been to a NAIMUN before, but it will be a good learning experience, and we have to represent McLean well.”