On Saturday, November 19th, North’s Model U.N. members competed on Columbia’s prestigious grounds. 

Every year, Columbia University hosts a conference for  Model United Nation club members where students have the opportunity to compete against other ambitious individuals and take a tour of the campus.

Fellow delegates explained what being a member of Model U.N. entails. 

“Model U.N. is essentially a roleplay where students, or delegates, are assigned roles as a part of the ‘United Nations’ and simulate U.N committees,” sophomore officer Ethan Shirazi said.

To get to the conference, most delegates traveled together on the New York City train. Upon arrival, students registered at the college campus and watched the opening ceremonies.

Students debated topics such as the Incan Empire, Wikileaks, Chile in 1973, Maze Runner, and even Game of Thrones— and they prevailed. GNN delegates sweeped the competition. The awards listed as follows: Nina Goldstein as Best Delegate for the WHO committee, Tyler Brechner as Best Delegate for Chile in 1973, Ethan Shirazi as Outstanding Delegate for Maze Runner, Greg Lyakhov as Outstanding Delegate for OAS, Raquel Landerer as Outstanding Delegate for Wikileaks, Abigail Monasebian as Honorable Mention for the Incan Empire, Asher Livian for a Verbal Commendation from OAS, Brielle Nassi for a Verbal Commendation from WHO, and Daliah Segal as Most Improved for Maze Runner.

Sophomore Officer Asher Livian offers tips for being a great Model U.N. delegate. 

“The trick with Model U.N. is to talk,” Livian said. “It’s quite literally as simple as that. I don’t necessarily recommend this, but many of our award-winners come into the competition knowing only a few facts about their committee, if at all. The trick to winning is to constantly speak; Oftentimes, the chairs [judges] don’t know anything about the topic, so it’s easier to talk a lot without actually knowing much. As long as you sound like you know what you’re talking about, prevailing is simple.” 

Another piece of advice Livian gave was his suggestion to be a sponsor to a resolution. Resolutions are agreement bills passed among delegates— if you sponsor one, it means you helped write the resolution, a huge accomplishment.

Like other students, sophomore Nina Goldstein cherished her experience at the conference.

“It was great being at Columbia and having the opportunity and resources to participate in such an amazing competition,” Goldstein said. “The campus was beautiful, and the experience was great, but above all, the people were outstanding. I met so many amazing people with amazing stories, diverse cultures, and notable hobbies.”