PEA Hosts Model United Nations Conference

Delegates hailing from thirty schools in New England and beyond gathered in the Assembly Hall for Phillips Exeter Academy’s 11th annual Model United Nations (MUN) conference this past weekend. In a speech welcoming students to the conference, senior and Secretary General Mai Hoang confessed to the assembled students that she has never won a significant award at a conference. “I truly believe MUN is for everyone, whether you enjoy the competitive aspects of the club or not,” she said.Hoang’s words reflected the broader mission of Exeter’s annual conference—to introduce new members to all that MUN does. “This is our way of giving new delegates experience in MUN before we go to the longer and harder conferences off campus,” upper and Comptroller Philip Horrigan said. “I hope that Exonians will improve their speaking and leadership skills and that all our delegates come away from the conference loving MUN and hoping to go to more MUN conferences.”Upper and Director of General Affairs Alana Yang added that the conference was also an opportunity for experienced students to grow in leadership skills. “More experienced [MUN members] have an opportunity to chair a conference,” she said. Another purpose of the conference is to raise funds for the rest of the year, lower and Outreach Manager Pedro Coelho noted. “PEAMUN is how we fundraise; there’s a fee for delegates to come over,” he said. “We use this money to go to other conferences and fund much of what our club does…[O]ne of the main objectives this year is to invite as many delegates as possible to PEAMUN.”Preparations for the event began in the spring term of last year, according to co-president of Model UN senior Chai Vankireddy. Vankireddy viewed the planning as one of the biggest challenges in organizing the conference. “It's a lot of work which includes coordinating with departments from our school such as IT, campus security, booking services,” she said. After opening assembly, the conference split up into two groups. The first group included GA1, Congress of Vienna, Indira Gandhi’s Cabinet and the Roman Senate. The second included GA2, Olade and the North Korea Cabinet. Each committee was chaired by a returning MUN member.Upper and committee chair Caleb Richmond explained that chairs and vice chairs had to prepare materials for the conference months in advance. “I had to spend the summer writing a background guide and plan everything the committee was going to go,” he said.For prep Sreesa Virinchi, PEAMUN means more than a first conference. Virinchi, already a Model UN delegate for more than four years, elaborated on his passion for the activity. “I think that it does seem like a foolish prospect: kids trying to be top notch diplomats in the biggest global organization there is,” he said, “but more than that, it develops not only your communication skills but it also allows you to truly apply public speaking to a more practical context.”Prep Ming Thompson, a new member of the club, appreciated the welcoming atmosphere of MUN and felt encouraged to attend the conference. “[Other club members] are very inviting and they make it very easy for you to want to come a second time or third time. They make it really, really easy to learn,” she said. Additionally, leaders of MUN have taught her to become more proactive in learning. “No one knows exactly how MUN works, [so] I'm learning not to be scared to talk and voice my opinion,” she said.PEAMUN also serves as a bonding platform for both new and returning club members. “We only go to a couple conferences a year. PEAMUN gives us an opportunity to work together and get closer to one another,” Yang said.Reflecting on PEAMUN, Coelho feels exceptionally proud of his MUN community. “It’s a big privilege for us to have enough people interested in the club to the point where we're considered at the same level as large clubs like [the Daniel Webster] Debate Society and The Exonian,” he said. “We try to keep a consistent growth rate every year, and think there's always that one new group of people who come in who you know will carry on the club into greater heights.”