On the 26th of September, 41 Marymount students attended the annual Model United Nations conference held by Santa Margarita High School. Unlike any previous conference, the delegates tackled their debates on a new virtual platform. Despite any difficulties many may have faced, Marymount sophomores, juniors, and seniors proudly brought home 10 individual awards for their excellent performance during the conference: 3 Outstanding Awards in the Advanced Committees, 1 Best Delegate Award in the Non-Freshmen Novice Committee, 3 Outstanding Awards in the Non-Freshmen Novice Committee, and 3 Commendations in the Non-Freshmen Novice Committee. The Marymount freshmen, according to Dr. Menard, Marymount’s MUN Moderator, “did particularly well this year,” bringing home 2 Best Delegate Awards, 2 Outstanding Awards, and 2 Commendation Awards. Congratulations to all!

Although the conference had moved on to a virtual format, the schedule remained relatively the same: each delegate started their mornings at 9 a.m. with their first committee and ended at 3 p.m. with their last. Whether a freshman or not, even if the schedule stayed the same, all Marymount students attended a conference like never before. Dr. Menard described the online format as “daunting” with its various technical difficulties and preservation of online etiquette. Junior Tori Hwang explains that her fellow delegates were “quite rude,” talking over each other and “not giving another delegate the chance to voice their opinions and solutions.” She further explained that unlike an in-person conference, the virtual format almost seemed like a “competition over who had the best microphone,” rather than who presented the best diplomacy, ideas, or speeches. Needless to say, the virtual MUN platform posed a challenge to many that nobody had ever had to encounter in the past.  

Despite its downsides, Dr. Menard is proud of everyone who attended the virtual conference and ends with the powerful statement: “those who had the courage to put themselves out there, made us proud!”

Marymount High School’s two juniors, Hannah Kim ‘22 and Simone Marijic-Buljubasic ‘22, wait for SOCOMUN’S Security Council Committee to get started at 9 a.m. on 26 September 2020. (courtesy of Hannah Kim ‘22)