Model UN Team travels to D.C.

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The Model United Nations team competed at the North American Invitational Model United Nations (NAIMUN) conference Feb. 15-19, in Washington, D.C.

NAIMUN is hosted annually by Georgetown University for over 3,500 students from 300 schools both nationally and internationally. 

Students spent 15 hours competing in committees ranging from the World Summit for Children to the Icelandic Financial Collapse, with anywhere from 20 to 350 students in each room. After researching their roles, they represented either a public figure or a country (depending on the committee), working to solve an overarching problem while also advocating for their own personal interests.

The group also experienced the city, visiting Arlington National Cemetery, the Greek Embassy, Capitol Hill, the Lincoln Memorial, the White House, Georgetown and George Washington Universities, the Smithsonian Museums and the Portrait Gallery.

“Our kids performed incredibly against the intense competition, winning 20 individual awards at what I believe to truly be the “Super Bowl” of Model UN,” advisor Mr. Mark Gruskin said.

Here are the students who emerged victorious:

Best Delegate: junior Ian Lumer and senior Elizaveta Vinnik

Outstanding Delegate: seniors Ethan Brady, Anya Pinto, Evan Seifer, Melissa Bermudez and Elias Smith

Honorable Delegate: sophomore Pranav Rai, juniors Allen Ting, Evan Soy and senior Isabelle Cipolla

Verbal Commendation: freshmen Mason Cohen, Jonathan Schwartz, sophomore Thomas Gioia, juniors Andrew Alper, Sophia Casanova, Gian Carlo Segebre, Jake Zeng, seniors Maxim Kochkin and Joshua Dobrinsky

The Model United Nations team visited the Greek Embassy Feb. 16, speaking with the Greek Ambassador to the U.S. and engaging in a 30-minute question and answer session with other representatives from the embassy. Students asked questions relating to the content of their committees, the country of Greece as well as current global events. (Photo/Mark Gruskin)

After four days of competition, the team of 35 won 20 awards. When the awards ceremony ended, they completed their team speeches as each senior and select juniors spoke about what the team and conference had meant to them. Additionally, advisor Mr. Mark Gruskin spoke about each student individually, recognizing the work they had put into preparing for the conference. (Photo/Harry Torres)

Now a senior at American Heritage, Anya returns as Editor-in-Chief of the Patriot Post. With her passion for journalism, she is Co-President of the Quill and Scroll Honor Society. She started an organization called “ActionPAKT: Projects Advocating for a Kinder Tomorrow” to educate youth about current issues and help them take action; currently, she has expanded it to 15+ chapters in multiple countries, raising $17,000 within the Heritage chapter itself. As a Youth Ambassador for Bullets4Life, Anya advocates for gun control. She leads the top Model UN program in the nation as President, competing nationally and organizing conferences at school. To relax, Anya hangs out with friends, swims, goes on walks and binge watches Netflix. She loves the beach, good food and her lazy little dog Simba more than anything.