From January 23-26, fifteen Parkland’s Political Science Club members took a trip to Philadelphia to participate in the Ivy League Model United Nations Conference. The conference has been held annually since 1984, bringing together students worldwide to solve international issues.
Each day, students would attend committees with students from different schools to debate topics from Intellectual Property protections on vaccines to the environmental effects of acid rain. While the committees were the main part of the event, participants had plenty of free time to explore the city. “My favorite memories were the times we spent in between committees when we all sang karaoke in our rooms and explored the beautiful city of Philadelphia,” said Siyona Pathak (10). Along with daily runs to the iconic grocery store Trader Joe’s, the hotel’s proximity to Reading Terminal Market, essentially a giant food hall, allowed students to experience a variety of cuisines in a short amount of time. Sarah Avila’s (10) favorite part of ILMUNC was going to the market to get lots of food.
In addition to solving hypothetical worldwide problems, students learned lessons that apply to the real world. When asked what she learned from participating in her committee, Alyssa Avila (12) said, “…the only way to ensure that people take your ideas into account is to talk to as many people as possible and talk as much as possible, since most people are looking out for their interests during committee and may pay attention initially.” Additionally, every participant was exposed to new worldviews and gained new understandings about foreign countries.
As for performance, two Parkland groups received verbal commendations for their outstanding performance. Giovanni Poloni (12) and Ken Zeng (10) won in the Special Political and Decolonization Committee, and Aadit Kedia (12) and Zunair Mahammed (12) won in the Office for Outer Space Affairs committee.
Overall, the Ivy League Model United Nations Conference was a productive and exhilarating experience that will positively impact each participant in the future.
