Eleven students from the Model United Nations club attended their first out-of-state conference of the year, the National High School Model United Nations conference, in New York.

Students participated in the conference at the UN Headquarters and New York Hilton Midtown, where they debated issues regarding international affairs through the perspective of a country assigned and researched about prior to the conference.

Countries that Harvard-Westlake students represented included South Sudan and Luxembourg.

Club president Will Evans ’19 said that the club took a small group of delegates, compared to the high number of attendees from other schools.

“Actually, in many schools, Model UN isn’t a club or an extracurricular activity but taught as a class where your performance [at the conference] determines your grade or a sport where your position on the team is dependent on your performance,” Evans said.

The school did not win any awards as a collective. However, Kate Konvitz ’20 represented Luxembourg and won second place in her specialized committee of 30 participants.

“This conference was a little peculiar in that unlike most conferences, they only gave awards for what they called crisis committees and awards for entire delegations as a whole,” Evans said.

Evans said he enjoyed his time at the conference and recommends the club to those interested in politics.

“I had a great time being in New York City,” Evans said. “I would highly recommend Model United Nations to anybody who has any interest in international affairs. It is not as high intensity as debate, but it is certainly just as fun.”

MUN club member and attendee Will Lake ’21 said that he enjoyed exploring New York and looks forward to going back to the conference again next year with more experience.

“It was so much fun being in the city,” Lake said. “The Model United Nations work itself was rewarding, but it was also great to bond with the rest of the club. I’m excited to come back next year.”