By Natalie Tran
Full disclosure: Natalie Tran is co-president of the FVHS Model United Nations club.
This past weekend, Fountain Valley High School’s (FVHS) Model United Nations (MUN) team embarked on a trip to UCLA to participate in the 29th annual installment of BruinMUN, a high school conference hosted by the university. The conference proved a huge turnout for FVHS’ delegation with 24 members enthusiastic to attend.
At BruinMUN, students (delegates) explored a myriad of topics in their committees, ranging from ballistic missile regulation to exploitation of digital labor. Of the 24 delegates, 17 were first-time members who were able to overcome the immense pressure of a first-time conference and give outstanding performances–a very impressive achievement for the team.
Freshman Ayat Shehadeh was one of the many first-time delegates who attended BruinMUN. Representing Nepal in the International Labour Organization, Shehadeh and her partner, freshman Joyce Mikhaiel, excelled at the conference.
“I was nervous about going to the conference since it was my first time,” Shehadeh said. “I felt good about my experience. It was so cool seeing all the other delegates from different schools, and I left feeling more knowledgeable about MUN and how it goes. It was such a fun experience and I’m so excited to attend all the MUN conferences this season.”
Senior Katie Vo, who represented Eritrea in UN Habitat with her partner junior Mariana Swete, also enjoyed her first-time conference as she was able to meet new people and soak in the feeling of being at a university campus.
“I signed up for this conference specifically because it was a once in a lifetime opportunity and this is my last year in high school and first year in MUN and I wanted to make the most out of what I was given. I tried not to preoccupy or stress myself too much about the conference and I felt prepared because our presidents did really well preparing us with the meetings we had at lunch,” Vo said. “Overall, I really enjoyed it. It was really cool to connect with the people in MUN, including our FVHS MUN because I really got to bond with the members. I feel very hopeful and excited about the upcoming season. I can’t wait to see this program grow.”
In addition to the first-time delegates, FVHS MUN’s returning delegates also made a successful comeback. Among them were senior president Judy Liu and her partner, senior Isabella Galiteva, who received an Honorable Mention for their performance in a crisis committee simulating the Persian Invasion of Greece. The win was a bittersweet moment, as the seniors were happy with their achievements but at the same time, they were devastated that it was their last BruinMUN conference.
“It still hasn’t fully hit me that this is my last BruinMUN ever,” Liu said. “It will always have a huge place in my heart. [And] to all future delegates, if you only go to one conference, let it be BruinMUN.”
At the same time, Liu was proud of the delegation’s overall performance, especially since a university conference was an intimidating challenge to the newer members. To anyone interested in attending future conferences, Liu encourages them to try.
“This past weekend’s conference turned out extremely well. It makes me so happy knowing that so many people are genuinely interested in MUN and to see so many of them succeed in their conferences. I’m in awe of their dedication [and] am beyond proud of what they managed to accomplish this weekend,” Liu said. “To any future delegate, my only advice is to try. You don’t have to win. Just try and you’ve already succeeded.”
