This past weekend, six girls from Rosary’s Model United Nations club attended the 32nd annual SOCOMUN (South Orange County Model United Nations) conference, which Santa Margarita Catholic High School hosts.
Model United Nations, also called Model UN or MUN, is perfect for students interested in English, law, history, business, international relations, political science, or performing arts. It’s also perfect for those who just enjoy talking.
MUN is similar to Mock Trial, but instead of simulating a trial, students act as delegates to the United Nations, an international peace organization that fosters relationships between countries.
In MUN committees, delegates represent one country and research its policies on a specific global issue, like the ethics surrounding AI. Conferences like SOCOMUN occur on Saturdays and are an opportunity for delegates to share their country’s opinion through speeches, debates, and resolutions (solutions for the issue) in order to address the problem on a global scale.
Rosary seniors Mattie Geronimo, Isabella Corte, Sophia Baaklini, and Paige Sorensen attended the conference with faculty chaperone Mrs. LeClair. It was the first conference for all of them, and they did amazing despite how intimidating public speaking can be.
Isabella, who presented Indonesia’s opinion on cyber security and cyberbullying, explained, “My favorite part of the conference was when I first went into the room not knowing what to expect. Once we got into it, I grew more confident and was able to talk more and share my stance. I had such an amazing time; it was definitely better than I expected! I would definitely recommend Model UN—it helped me get out of my comfort zone, and I truly enjoyed my time at the conference! I can’t wait for the next one!”
Megan Martinez ‘24 and I did not participate as delegates at SOCOMUN; we were behind the scenes as guest co-chairs with Santa Margarita students. Basically, we got to help lead the beginner committees by scoring speeches and comments, calling on delegates who wanted to speak, explaining MUN procedures and rules, and encouraging quiet students to join the discussions.
Megan stated, “It was fun to regulate the room, see all the delegates interact with each other, and act as an under-secretary [a secondary government official].”
Like Megan, I enjoyed chairing since I was able to work as one of the people I looked up to last year as a beginner. I got the privilege of pounding a gavel and received a firsthand look at how to run a conference, all without the intensity of being a delegate.
If MUN sounds fun, and you didn’t sign up at Club Rush, email Megan or me to join. We’d love to have more Royals at our conferences this year!
