GSMUN XXIII: A Challenging Experience
RICHMOND, VA - Just days after the successful VIMUNC conference, three individual Longfellow delegates spontaneously registered on the Monday after to attend another Model UN Conference that same week, GSMUN. GSMUN, the Governer Schools Model UN Conference, is based in Richmond and run by Maggie Walker HS.
With less than a week of preparation, and with no break from VIMUNC, the delegates entered discussions ranging from the Yemen Crisis to a simulation on war in the Banana Republic that challenged their resilience and creativity. For the first time, they also engaged in a 2-day debate with high schoolers, before passing many meaningful ideas and resolutions. These three delegates went above and beyond to challenge themselves, and though they did not represent Longfellow, they represented themselves, and earned the following:
Megan Zhang (Russia - UNESCO): Outstanding Delegate
Victoria Zhang (Mexico - SPECPOL): Best Delegate
Krish Bommakanti (Manuel Jose Estrada Cabrera, Jorge Ubico Casteneda - Banana Republic War: United Central American Peoples): Best Delegate
Some additional highlights:
The universal (?) agreement in the UNESCO committee that pineapple pizza should be outlawed;
A very serious, unresolved debate in UNESCO on whether the ocean is truly a soup;
The resolution in the SPECPOL committee that nuked both Iran and Saudi-Arabia, Romeo and Juliet style (The justification for this was that both the delegations of Iran and Saudi-Arabi played with inverted controllers);
The delegation of Mexico in SPECPOL forcing Germany to step down to the Marshall Islands due to the crime of drinking orange juice;
The double-assassination of Krish (hence why he has two roles).
To some of the delegates, GSMUN was an opportunity to strive for greater achievement after being disappointed in their results at VIMUNC. "...An experience that showed the flexibility and resilience of three delegates"
To others, it was just another conference to expand experience upon. Though to all, GSMUN was truly an experience that showed the flexibility and resilience of three delegates. From hours of diplomatic and serious debate to still-serious discussions on topics out of the original agenda, the GSMUN experience surely provided an enriching way to spend the weekend and kick off Spring Break.
Article by Victoria Zhang, Staff Writer