In Redwood City, early morning on March 23, Campolindo High School’s Model United Nations Club attended their first and only conference of the year as a delegation of five people.
While Model UN at Campo has faced several challenges this year in terms of recruitment and leadership, this conference was not only beginner-friendly but the jump-start that the club needed to get back on track to competitive Model UN.
“I just joined Model UN this year and I was pretty nervous when I first started, but I actually had so much fun. I love getting to meet new people,” stated sophomore Cassidy Mintz. “I first decided to do it when one of my friends asked me to do it, and I was interested in it before, so I just said, ‘Why not?’ and ended up continuing with it throughout the year.”
Campo’s delegation of five – one senior, two sophomores, and two freshmen – split up to go to their two separate committees. While the freshmen – Richard Wei and Adam Zheng– and senior Antony Wei participated in a general committee debating the issue of fentanyl, sophomores Cassidy Mintz and myself spoke in a specialized committee concerning cybersecurity and digital privacy.
“The conference was very accepting: any skill level you are, you can attend. [Incoming] freshmen should definitely join,” said Zheng, as this conference was his first as well. “It was very enlightening; it was a great experience because I’ve never done anything related to the United Nations. Usually, I’m more computer science based.”
“I was really nervous,” added Wei. “My partner and I only spoke once. The more you do it, though, the more you learn and the more experience you get. It’s something that you have to keep practicing over time.”
The conference lasted from 8:45 AM to 9:15 PM, with the four committee sessions scheduled between lunch, a fifteen minute break, dinner, and then the closing ceremony, which announced awards. Mintz, for whom this was her first conference, received a Verbal Commendation for the Campo delegation due to her speaking skills during her committee session.
“You get to work together with people from a ton of different schools; I’m not the most extroverted person, but it was actually really great,” said Mintz when asked about what she gained from attending this conference. “I would also say that it’s a really great way to learn more about the world, since you get to go and present speeches about them while solving real-world issues.”
“It’s going to be a lot of work, but the payoff is worth it,” Wei added. “It’s really good for college applications.”
Model UN president Antony Wei also had his own thoughts about the conference, his last in his Model UN career, as well as parting advice for incoming freshmen who could be potentially interested in joining the club. “Although it was a long day, BAYMUN (Bay Area Model United Nations) allowed me to meet new people from diverse backgrounds, fostering connections and friendships. I would encourage people to join because of how it fosters leadership skills and develops critical thinking skills.”
In the 2024-2025 school year, BAYMUN will be hosted at Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton, making it much more accessible than Redwood City. While Model UN is an extracurricular at Campo that has been outshone by others such as Academic Decathlon, Debate, and Mock Trial, it is more powerful in the unique experiences that the Campo delegation got to have by attending this conference. With Mintz, Zheng, and Richard Wei stepping up next year with leadership roles, it looks like Campo’s Model UN club is on the right track.
