On Thursday, February 6, Ms. Connie Blunden and Ms. Sarah Stapleton escorted Immy Hepworth, Group XI, Kelly Bojic, XI, Caroline Bloomer, XI, Renee Ong, IX, and me to Model UN at Johns Hopkins University

Model UN is truly a different world– one which I was grateful to be a part of. There are so many things that make it unique.

For one thing, you are referred to by your country name instead of your real one, and you dress and talk like an adult.

Amidst the debates among incredibly outspoken high school students, there was an air of incredible energy. It was as if all these high school kids, no older than seventeen, already knew that they could make a difference in the world.

This was the community I was a part of for three days, and ultimately, it has changed my outlook on our generation’s ability to effect change in this new and challenging world.

Representing Austria, Greenwich Academy entered five different committees (some large, some small) to debate with other “delegates.”

Getting accustomed to the rules of Model UN was a challenge: instead of raising a hand, delegates raise their plaques; they “motion” for a vote and call the committee leader “Honorable Chair.” I am not sure how Greenwich Academy teachers would react to being called “Honorable Chair,” but those working at Model UN view it as commonplace.

At Greenwich Academy there is an extreme amount of competition. We strive to be the best in athletics, academics, and more. Model UN is the same ballgame raised to the thousandth.

Girls and boys lift their plaques in a desperate attempt to speak before others. I myself witnessed a twenty-minute debate between Georgia (the country, not the state) and New Zealand over whether or not countries had an obligation to provide reproductive health care to global citizens– a topic we had already discussed for four hours.

That is what sets Model UN apart: it gives teenagers the opportunity to express their opinions in a setting outside of the classroom.

I have never been to a gathering of such accomplished people. Every delegate has a story. They come from Texas, California, New York– you name it. After meeting an entire committee of high school students, I am certain that Model UN breeds leaders.

I was able to witness these kids in action and somewhere, among the glasses they wear and research they conduct for hours on end, there are students that are invested in making the world a better place.