By Rithvika Nadakuditi
Honorable delegates and esteemed chair, the Ironwood Ridge High School’s Model United Nations (IRHSMUN) class won a national merit award for Preparation and Research at the National High School Model United Nations (NHSMUN). Although the IRHSMUN class received its assignments significantly later than other competing schools, students dedicated many hours to researching and finalizing their position papers within a rigorous 8-week window. With the compressed timeline, students diligently analyzed sources and topics, developing a position paper that would win an award. The IRHSMUN class worked tremendously hard to raise funds for this trip through tax credits, food fundraisers, and donations, as a collective effort, thanks to Mr.Wolf, President Sierra Yob, and all the officers for putting in the effort to make the trip happen. The IRHSMUN class had the honor of representing two countries: Indonesia and Austria, with students being double-delegated in multiple committees. These two countries were different in every aspect, making it hard for delegations from Ironwood Ridge to pair up, pushing students to work with others. Shawn Hesse, who represented Indonesia on the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, said that to understand his country and the topics, he consulted primary sources and encyclopedias to learn about Indonesia’s punitive and anti-narcotic policies, enabling him to represent his country accurately.

The opening ceremony surprised everyone and became the highlight of the trip, beginning with a performance featuring top hits like “Tití Me Preguntó” by Bad Bunny. With many of the students calling the cover artist who sang “Tití Me Preguntó” “Bad Rabbit”. Following the performance, Kamala Harris appeared on stage to answer students’ questions. Harris addressed how the Model United Nations (MUN) prepares students to be leaders from an early age, as anyone can be a leader. Being in Model UN allows students to start that journey early in their education. Sierra Yob said, “My favorite part about the trip was the conference as well as the instant connections that all the students were able to make. Everyone had a lot of fun and shared amazing experiences, creating an unforgettable bond. It was not only a competitive conference but a close community.”

At the NHSMUN conference, the delegates met others from all over the world. The students there were kind and collaborative. NHSMUN was a learning moment for the students as they had to navigate and adapt to the new style. Attending this conference awakened them to the different ways MUN is run. Local Oro Valley, Arizona, is a lot different than New York’s way of running it, which became a learning experience for many delegates. Hesse believes everyone should have this experience once in their life because, “I have walked away from this experience knowing so much more about not only myself but the other people, and it’s mainly because I have had these opportunities to broaden my perspective, whether it was listening to Harris or these amazing delegates.” Nighthawk MUN Members met people from all over the world, like Italy, Hawaii, California, New York, Ghana, and Mexico. The diversity of people who attended NHSMUN allowed them to meet wonderful people. In addition, on the second day of the conference, each committee had the opportunity to meet a UN official specialized in that field. During the closing ceremony, IRHS won an award after a delegation from every committee spoke about what they accomplished. Following the end of the conference and sessions, they had a delegate social with thousands of international students and a dance, which was allegedly a super eventful and wild.

This trip brought many students together, allowing them to share their experiences at the conference. The conference was the main event, but when delegates had free time, they went to Central Park to ice skate, Times Square for pizza, and the 9/11 museum. On the last day of the trip, they went to see the UN and Turkish embassy after a long, rainy walk. This trip was fun but also very educational and competitive. Yob said this trip was outstanding, with amazing opportunities to collaborate, bond, and create memories together that truly made this trip great.