Hundreds of high school students come from all around the country to participate in the William & Mary High School Model UN (WMHSMUN) conference, the university’s largest Model UN conference of the year. Now in its 36th iteration, the conference had twenty-four committees. This year, Maggie Walker students were given the opportunity to attend this college conference in person, when previously, it was held virtually due to the pandemic. At the conclusion of the conference, Maggie Walker won five awards: Verbal Commendations for Junior Bridget Plank, Senior Daniela Wheeler, and Junior Parth Tornekar, an Honorable Mention for Junior Sam McNamee, and a Best Delegate for Sophomore Sriyutha Morishetty. 

Many Dragons were grateful for the opportunity to attend a conference in person, like Tornekar, who said it was his “first in-person college conference.” Tornekar participated in the Ad-Hoc Committee, a special committee where the set topic for debate is not announced until the start of the committee session.  His favorite part about the conference was the difficulty of debate and his competition throughout the conference. After debating virtually for two and a half years, Tornekar was ready to be back in action. Although this is notoriously known as an extremely challenging committee, Tornekar rose to the occasion, ultimately winning an award. In fact, Maggie Walker as a whole school was incredibly successful. According to Tornekar, “...ten percent of MLWGS students win awards in conferences, and exactly ten percent won at WMHSMUN.”

However, only one student from Maggie Walker won the Best Delegate award: Sriyutha Morishetty. “Her name is now engraved in the plaque outside the forum,” said Tornekar. This plaque holds the names of all the students who have won Best Delegate– the highest achievement possible– at Maggie Walker. It is undoubtedly a great honor. 

WMHSMUN may have been Morishetty’s first conference with Maggie Walker, but she has competed and won awards previously in her academic career. When describing her experience at WMHSMUN, Morishetty said, “It was really fun to stay in a hotel room and go to Williamsburg with my friends. I also loved meeting new people from places around the country like Northern Virginia, Florida, Connecticut, California, wherever.” She emphasized that in all of her Model UN experiences, she always learned something new in each conference she attended. Morishetty believed the reason for her victory was her ability to follow the conference’s values and hold debate in favor of her chairs. 

In terms of the organization of WMHSMUN, delegates expressed that there were some flaws throughout the weekend, such as inexperienced chairs and event delays. However, considering the number of delegates the organizers had to accommodate, they did a decent job planning the conference. Morishetty expressed her thoughts on her personal performance during the committee sessions, particularly her confident attitude, stating,“I had no restrictions and entirely put myself out there.” Even after her successful performance, Sriyutha indicated, “I did not think I was going to win an award because I set my expectations low.” She determined that WMHSMUN as a whole was beneficial to her as a person since she had improved her public speaking skills, learned so much from other delegates, and talked to many new people. Ultimately though, she stated,“It was definitely a good feeling to win Best Delegate for the school.”

Overall, WMHSMUN was an incredible experience for Maggie Walker students, introducing them to others who share their passion for debate and international affairs. This year, WMHSMUN supported Save the People, a leading humanitarian organization for children, and raised money for the charity by selling pizza, candygrams, and conference merchandise. This charity helps the Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund and presented a great way for delegates to make a real difference in the current world. 

All in all, the experiences offered by WMHSMUN, filled with charity, challenges, and connections, offered ways for students to nourish their public speaking and leadership skills. The Maggie Walker Model United Nations club looks forward to putting those skills to the test in future conferences!