The Sacred Heart Greenwich Model United Nations (UN) team attended the Princeton Model United Nations Conference (PMUNC) hosted by Princeton University November 20 to 23. Participating Upper School students, known as delegates, engaged in debates over global issues with a goal of passing resolutions that offer solutions to real-world problems. More than 1,000 students from around the world traveled to take part in the conference. Delegates are structured into seven General Assemblies (GA), seven Specialized Committees, and eight Crisis Committees. Each committee discussed topics that are specific to their area of specialization, according to princetonirc.com.
Sacred Heart students who took part in PMUNC this year included seniors Katya Kalinichenko, Lauren McCauley, and Lily Broughton, juniors Gianna Rodrigues, Gabrielle Hughes, Cara Sedgwick, and Catherine Ononye, sophomores Caitlin Ungari and Leila Cortes, and freshmen Clara Gaudelet, Mackenzie Malouin, Spenser Simmons, Chloe Chawla, Georgina Zakrzewski, Lillian Pilcher, Vivi Bickmeyer.
The PMUNC is a simulation for students of the United Nations (UN), an international organization based in New York City for countries to solve worldwide issues. The conference provides students with an immersive experience that helps them become aware of international problems and come up with tangible solutions, according to princetonirc.com.
Before arriving at the conference, students worked individually and in pairs to represent their assigned country by writing position papers. During the conference, students participated in a full day of committee meetings. They worked together in their committees to discuss important issues and share their countries’ perspectives. The delegates proposed solutions and drafted resolutions that addressed the problems their committees were responsible for addressing, according to princetonirc.com. Gianna is co-head of the Model UN club at Sacred Heart. She expanded on the skills she has gained from being a part of this club.
“I have become a much better public speaker and have improved my skills in researching through Model UN, ” Gianna said. “By going to the conferences, I have improved my skills in speech writing and engaging a room. I have really enjoyed all the learning that comes with being part of this club.”
The Sacred Heart Model UN program offers students an opportunity to reinforce valuable skills, such as public speaking, writing, and research. In addition, Model UN develops students’ leadership skills and their ability to develop connections with others. Through their research, students become aware of global issues. The Model UN club strongly resonates with Goal III of the Sacred Heart Network, a social awareness which impels to action. In particular, Model UN immerses students in a global perspective that develops competencies such as critical consciousness and promotes an informed and active citizenship. Gianna expressed her appreciation for the opportunities to gain knowledge about international issues through the annual conference.
“We do a lot of writing for our papers, and my skills in writing have definitely improved because of it”, Gianna said. “Public speaking comes with time, but by going to the conference, I have improved my confidence with speaking at the conference. At the conferences, we had a chance to branch out and meet new people from different schools and countries.”
Featured Image by Gabrielle Arredondo ’27
