Harker upper school students represented Brazil at the Santa Teresa Model United Nations Conference on Jan. 29 and 30. They debated issues ranging from digital security to international pandemics and had one of the strongest showings Harker has had at this conference, with every student receiving recognition by their committee chairs.

Seniors Sophia Luo and Shannon Hong were recognized as outstanding delegates and received the Excellence in Research Award for their work on the World Bank. Sandip Nirmel, grade 11, and Logan Bhamidipaty, grade 9, we named outstanding delegates for their work on the Historical Security Council. Juniors Anuva Mittal and Haley Tran received outstanding delegate awards for their work on UNESCO. Sophomore Amy Dunphy received a verbal commendation for her work on the Legal Committee. And Jason Huang, grade 9, was recognized with a verbal commendation and was elected as the closing assembly speaker for his committee work on the Disarmament and Security Committee.

This is the second conference Harker Model UN has attended this year. At both conferences, every Harker student received committee recognition, which is a unique and challenging accomplishment, as it requires every student to be well-versed in international policies as well as the policies of the country they represent. The students have to write position papers in which they complete research on the positions of their country and then have to speak in front of large groups and interact with other students at the conference in order to accomplish the goals of the international committee on which they serve.

While the travel conference season is over this year for Harker Model UN, members of the leadership board hope to develop a one-day experience for Harker middle school students in the spring. The program will also continue to offer on-campus simulations and practice sessions for students at the upper school.