Model UN team wins big at Princeton

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The Heritage Model United Nations team closed out the semester Top 3 in the nation, winning the Honorable Delegation award at the Princeton Model United Nations Conference (PMUNC).

Along with co-advisors and chaperones Mr. Mark Gruskin and Ms. Laura Decelis, the group arrived in East Brunswick, N.J., Nov. 17. They visited the Rutgers campus that evening and toured the Princeton campus the day after. On the last day of the trip, they spent time at Bowlero, an arcade and bowling alley.

Competing for 16 hours total over the course of the conference, 14 students emerged victorious. Seniors Andrew Codreanu and Srijan Deoraj won Best Delegate. Seniors Zara Lacewaala, Alizain Fatehali and sophomore Ian Lumer won Outstanding Delegate. Senior Mary Abi-Karam and juniors Jordan Antevy, Anya Pinto and Melissa Bermudez won Honorable Delegate. Senior Maya Whiting, juniors Jonathan Cameron Wright, Ty Holifield and sophomore Evan Soy earned Verbal Commendations. Junior Kayla Giset won the award for Best Position Paper. 

“This weekend, we saw tremendous teamwork and chemistry in the group. I need to give lots of credit to our senior leadership because historically we have never achieved much success at PMUNC; our Honorable Delegation Award this year shows how far the program has come,” Mr. Gruskin said.


After visiting the Rutgers campus and playing their traditional touch football game, the team walked the campus of Princeton. (Photos/Laura Decelis)

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.