By Dino Perusko ’24

From Thursday, April 20 to Sunday, April 23, 13 delegates from Sem’s Model UN Club got a chance to attend CMUNC, Cornell Model United Nations Conference in Ithaca, New York. Through the course of four days, students worked together in their committees to bring resolutions regarding real-world problems like the problem of maternal healthcare and reproductive rights at the World Conference on Women, and some not-so-real-world ones, like who killed the Queen, not the British one (may she rest in peace), but the one in the playing card deck.

For his performance in the above mentioned committee, one of our delegates, Robert Beletsky ‘23 was awarded a verbal commendation by his chair. Students thoroughly enjoyed their four days in Ithaca, outside and inside the conferences and in between – riding on the Big D’s Limousine. Although unable to attend the famous hike, they got a chance to tour the Cornell campus, do some sightseeing of its famous bridges,  explore Ithaca Commons, and even see Napoleon walking around during the conferences. Many new friendships were also formed with students from all across the world, from a student from an upscale school in Rochester, New York to one of our student’s look-alike.

For many of this club’s members, this was their last Model UN conference in high school. With bittersweet feelings about leaving this activity behind, they gladly recalled on all the fun experiences, resolutions, and friendships that they have made, inside or outside of the committee rooms at various conferences that they have attended, but also all the diplomatic and public speaking skills that they have earned throughout their years of Model UN.

The conference at Cornell was the perfect reminder that maybe it is not all about the awards that they have earned, but the friendships that they have made along the way.