It’s happened yet again: Maggie L. Walker’s Model UN club has dominated at not one, but two separate MUN conferences in the past few months!

The major success of MLWGS Model UN was seen by delegates from numerous high schools at the Model UN conference hosted by Henrico High School, otherwise known as HIMUNC. From January 13-14, Maggie Walker MUN members truly excelled, showcasing their public speaking and diplomacy skills in multiple committees at HIMUNC. Four club members were given verbal commendations, five members honorable mentions, and three members outstanding delegations. Finally, seven students won best delegate awards in their respective committees: Maddy Dunaway and Tanvi Palavalas (double delegation), Shreesh Kalagi and Aashka Shah (double delegation), Devesh Kumar, Rohini Mudinur, and Carson Wang.

MLWGS Model UN members showed up and showed out at this year’s HIMUNC conference while also navigating some challenging yet fun obstacles along the way. For example, when asked what was a highlight about his HIMUNC experience, Model UN Co-President Carson Wang (‘23) shared a few interesting stories. Wang stated, “Personally, it was definitely surprising but exciting to be ‘assassinated’ in the first committee session.” Wang’s character in his committee was terminated at the beginning of the conference, but he later explained that, post-assasination, taking on a new role on the spot and having to adapt to a new “niche” in a chaotic situation was “really fun and very eye-opening.” This skill of adaptability and dominating in structured chaos is a skill every MUN member gets to be exposed to, and it seems this skill was a common thread for all of our delegates!

Another conference attendee, Kushal Gowda (‘25), shared his own thoughts on the enjoyable aspects of this year’s HIMUNC. When asked what his favorite aspect of the conference was, he replied, “the sheer number of people I got to meet and hang out with.” Building connections is a crucial part of diplomacy, and it showed through at HIMUNC as well. When asked how he personally felt he did at HIMUNC, Gowda replied, “Considering it was my first-ever conference, I was very proud of the way I performed. I just decided to go for it and do what I do best, and it all worked out.” Gowda later earned an honorable mention in his committee.

In addition to being an incredibly successful chapter attendee at HIMUNC, our MUN members were able to share in some truly memorable moments. Wang stated, “There really isn’t a better feeling than when our entire chapter explodes in support when a member wins an award.” Wang later described this whole experience for the delegation as a great show of what the Model UN community is: “smart, dedicated people looking to improve their skill set.”

Preparing to send an entire delegation to a MUN conference, however, is a lot of work. The club’s officers and advisors start preparing for conferences a month in advance, and often spend the ensuing weeks running a tight ship. “Officers typically spend 2-3 hours each week talking to and teaching delegates, organizing payments, and contacting the secretariat of the conference.” With almost 50 people coming to this conference, communication was crucial. Wang stated that due to this, the club’s main goal was “to be transparent with the delegates so that they know what we’re doing and keep them updated at every turn.”

In addition to the work of the club officers, planning for HIMUNC was overseen specifically by the co-sponsor for MLWGS Model UN, social studies teacher Mr. Kyle Rogers. This year marks the first of many for Mr. Rogers as an advisor for the club. When asked about the experience, he replied, “HIMUNC provided me my first opportunity to fly solo as a Model UN sponsor at a conference, and it gave me the chance to meet and make connections with sponsors from other Richmond-area schools.” This spirit of outreach and collaboration shared by delegates, officers, and the sponsor did not go unrecognized—the Dragons took home the best delegation award at the end of the conference!

Rogers goes on to describe this major achievement and conference as a chance for “new delegates to gain experience and gain a huge confidence booster to help them prepare for ODUMUNC.” Dr. Max Smith, long-time lead sponsor for Model UN, did not attend in order to allow Rogers “[to spread] his wings as an advisor.” Smith stated, “After 15 years I will be hanging up my spurs as head MUN sponsor, so it is time to turn over the reins to a younger man.” He went on to share words of great enthusiasm and encouragement for the team: “This was a great experience for Mr. Rogers to show his leadership, coordinate the team, and take home a boatload of accolades. I’m proud of the team and proud of him.” Overall, the Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School Model UN delegation had a successful run at HIMUNC, with many new delegates getting a taste of the benefits Model UN provides.

However, this high school Model UN conference wasn’t the only place where Maggie Walker’s delegation dominated. Between February 14-16, Maggie Walker students also attended a college-level Model UN conference hosted by Old Dominion University known as ODUMUNC. As always, the many Maggie Walker students present erupted in applause as MLWGS Model UN claimed Best Delegation. All in all, Maggie Walker received one verbal commendation, two honorable mentions, and six outstanding delegate awards. Furthermore, four students won best delegate awards, the highest honor in a committee: Bilal Ahmad and Shreesh Kalagi (double delegation), and Kamna Kalkunte and Sriyutha Morishetty (double delegation). Smith put it most aptly, stating, “Our students represented the school extremely well. So well that we stood out at a conference with 800- 1000 delegates. That’s a big honor.”

ODUMUNC, for delegates and officers alike, provided a truly delightful experience. Club Co-Treasurer Bilal Ahmad (‘24) shared a few highlights of this trip: “It was great seeing so many of our delegates perform so well, and surprising Dr. Smith at his last college conference with a birthday party!” Ahmad, alongside Co-Treasurer Shreesh Kalagi (‘24), stated they were “excited to run a smooth program since it was [their] first time being head delegates for the school.”

Delegate Maddy Dunaway (‘25) also shared a few personal and community highlights from the conference. Continuing the common thread of major firsts, stating, “My double delegate, Aditya Badhrayan, and I won outstanding delegate in the Arab League committee, which was a huge accomplishment for us since it was our first win at a college conference!” Dunaway later goes on to describe her favorite moment at ODUMUNC. She stated, “One of my favorite moments from this conference was our win as best delegation. It was amazing to win this award at such a large and competitive conference.” Dunaway went on to explain that this situation was once again a reminder that Model UN is a team effort. “This community’s ability to succeed as a team and support each other is so unique,” she stated. “To have a tangible reminder of that was such a great ending to the weekend.”

However, our delegates not only lent their dedicated serious preparation and quick decision-making to their committees, but they also used these skills to plan two very memorable birthday parties, both of which celebrated the Model UN sponsors. Smith and Rogers’s birthdays—which took place over the ODUMUNC weekend—were acknowledged by a surprise party prompted by a break in between committee sessions. When asked to describe the moment, Rogers explained, “Between [MUN student] Parth Tornekar’s prank call that had Dr. Smith and me running upstairs to solve an imaginary registration problem and the cupcakes they somehow smuggled in without our knowledge, it was a really touching moment that made all of the long hours and stress of the weekend conference feel worth it.” Supporting Rogers, Smith stated, “It was so touching to have our birthdays recognized on the trip. These are great kids. I could not ask for a more caring or compassionate team.”

Maggie Walker’s Model UN team is one of the largest, most active extracurriculars available at school, and for good reason. In addition to the numerous awards at both HIMUNC and ODUMUNC, the members were exposed to something even greater. First-time delegates met with veteran delegates in a supportive community to learn and grow as individuals, as characters, public speakers, problem solvers, and as professionals. This growth has been showcased multiple times across both HIMUNC and ODUMUNC in the 2023 school year, making this year one that MLWGS Model UN will remember for the ages.