As the 25th iteration of the Maggie Walker Governor’s School Model United Nations Conference arrives, the staff of GSMUN is working harder than ever to prepare to host the big day. The theme of this year’s conference is Empower Future Leaders, embodying Maggie Walker’s values of fostering knowledge of foreign policy and international affairs.

Operating for over 25 years, GSMUN typically boasts an attendance of nearly 500 delegates from all throughout the country each year, cementing itself as one of the premier high school conferences on the East Coast. At the heart of the mission statement of GSMUN, delegates are encouraged to put aside their differences, think critically, and devise creative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing current challenges. GSMUN is made possible by its staff of over 100 members, including the secretariat, chairs, vice chairs, crisis staffers, and volunteers who dedicate their time and energy to making GSMUN an enormous success each year. This year’s conference is headed by Secretary-General Annabel Tang (‘23), along with ten other secretariat members and the co-sponsors of the club, Dr. Max Smith and Mr. Kyle Rogers.

GSMUN is a student-led initiative, and its secretariat leads the preparation and the execution of the conference. Preparations started in the spring of 2022 for the conference held in the spring of 2023. The secretariat is responsible for organizing the logistics for the conference, publicizing and connecting with sponsors of attending schools, working closely with GSMUN’s select partner charity, and coordinating a large team.

Furthermore, the 34 GSMUN committee chairs are responsible for choosing their committee topics, conducting extensive research, writing comprehensive background guides, enduring several rounds of edits, and connecting with their team of vice chairs and/ or crisis staffers. This year, GSMUN has 17 committees, with topics ranging from the historical Turkish War for Independence to the Theranos Corporation’s Board of Directors.

The year of the 25th GSMUN conference is not only a monumental milestone, but also a year of significant change from past conferences. One new momentous change is the implementation of a more objective rubric system to evaluate GSMUN’s delegates. In other Model UN conferences and in past years of GSMUN, the process of determining awards could oftentimes be subject to opinion and influenced by the chairs’ own personal biases, leaving delegates to feel a sense of unfairness if their awards did not match their expectations.

However, this rubric system, developed by MLWGS seniors Carolyn Zhuang and Shreyas Muthusamy, ensures that the method of determining awards is more objective and equitable for all delegates, and provides a form of measurable feedback at the end of the conference to help delegates improve their performance for future conferences. The system is something Smith has encouraged his secretariat to devise and implement in many years past, and the rubric system developed by this year’s team is “better than [he] even imagined” it being. Smith, along with the rest of the GSMUN staff, is optimistic that the rubric system will make judging in a competitive Model UN environment fair and less arbitrary for all delegates.

Coach and sponsor of the Model UN club for 15 years, Smith plays an integral part in organizing this program, as his vast experience contributes to the creation of Maggie Walker’s annual conference. As GSMUN is primarily a student-run endeavor, Smith regards himself as the “chief firefighter” of the conference. This leads to him dealing with various issues outside of the Secretariat’s reach, ranging from academic integrity to problems with logistics. Aside from gaining an extensive amount of experience in regards to coordinating a program or taking the club to various conferences, Smith also cherishes the community that comes with GSMUN. He views GSMUN as “one of the most rewarding experiences” he has had at Maggie Walker.

Furthermore, each year, GSMUN partners with a nonprofit organization to support, typically reaching around $10,000 in donations. The concept of incorporating fundraising for a charity was introduced in 2007 and has become an essential part of today’s conference. Director-General Anshul Chiranth (‘23) describes the addition of advocating and raising money for a charity as “a reason to hold the conference.” In addition, he adds that the charitable aspect allows for the Model UN club to set a goal and differentiate GSMUN from the several other conferences held across the country. Chiranth emphasizes that as a high school conference, being able to raise $10,000 for charity demonstrates real-world impact while highlighting a core value of Model UN. Smith adds on to this sentiment, as the aspect of charity not only has an impact on a local level but “affects people in a very real and authentic way.”

In the past, through embracing ideas of better understanding in the global perspective, GSMUN has raised thousands of dollars for various charities such as World Central Kitchen and Love146. For this year’s conference, GSMUN is raising money for the organization Communities In Schools. Communities In Schools works to create healthy environments for students and encourages them to succeed in academic environments. Across the state, this organization focuses on producing an efficient and supportive community while aiding underprivileged students and helping them become successful. When GSMUN first began fundraising for a charity, raising even $1,000 was a great milestone. However, as the 25th iteration approaches, the club aims to raise at least $10,000 for Communities in Schools.

Furthermore, another key aspect of the conference is its keynote speaker. For decades, GSMUN has brought in some of the most impactful leaders as keynote speakers, ranging from diplomats to former governors. This year’s speaker is James S. Gilmore, an American politician, diplomat, ambassador to the European Economics Board, and former governor of Virginia. GSMUN’s keynote speakers provide incredibly valuable insight to GSMUN’s delegates and staff each year, highlighting the importance of global awareness and diplomacy. To welcome former Governor Gilmore to Maggie Walker is an honor, and to be able to welcome him to the school in-person, as opposed to virtually, will be an even more rewarding experience for attendees.

Aligning with Model UN’s objective of encouraging students to utilize their public speaking, collaboration and compromise skills in a diplomatic manner, this year’s Secretary General, Annabel Tang, believes empowering future leaders means “creating a more equitable and welcoming Model UN committee for future kids who want to get involved in the activity.”

Tang does find professionalism to be important while running GSMUN, but she emphasizes the need for the committees to “promote collaboration, diplomacy, and advocacy.” In the competitive environment, delegates can oftentimes lose sight of the true essence of Model UN, as many have their eye on winning and acquiring first place with the gavel. However, through new ideas such as the rubric system, changes in the awards system, and outreach, the Model UN team hopes that the next iteration of GSMUN acts as a positive example. Tang hopes that this year’s conference promotes leaders that aren’t just confident, “but also willing to listen and put aside their differences for a more collaborative and friendly community.”

Secretary-General Tang and the whole club, are standing on the “backs of giants,” according to Smith. “The history and legacy of GSMUN is not lost on me,” Tang says about her role. GSMUN has a profound and persisting legacy at the school, and the conference has integrated itself into the very fabric of Maggie Walker’s extensive list of extracurricular activities. For many students, however, GSMUN is more than an extracurricular activity—it is a driving force in shaping Maggie Walker’s students and GSMUN’s attendees into powerful leaders capable of making positive change in the community and beyond.