From November 21 to 24, 29 MFS students attended the Rutgers Model United Nations conference (RUMUN) in New Brunswick, NJ, winning not only numerous awards within their respective committees, but also the commendable award of the “Best Large Delegation.” This was the first time the MFS Model United Nations (Model UN or MUN) program won the accolade.
RUMUN is described as “one of the largest and most well-regarded MUN conferences in the United States,” according to Model UN.com.
As it was the first conference of the 2024-25 school year, many attendees were new to Model UN, including the numerous incoming 9th graders who have been attending the Model UN club as they are not yet eligible to join the class. These new delegates were paired with those who have leadership positions within the class or with more experienced delegates.
Reflecting on the win, Maya DeAndrea ’25, one of the two Secretaries-General (Sec-Gens) of the delegation said, “I’m so proud of our delegation, [the win] was the product of so much time and energy that each and every one of our delegates put in.”
Among the 29 MFS delegates, 20 participated as pairs and nine as individual delegates. There were a total of 11 awards won. Nine of the 11 pairs earned awards, including five for Best Position Paper, two for Best Delegate, one for Most Improved, and one for Distinguished Delegate. Additionally, two individual delegates received awards: Outstanding Delegate and Best Delegate.
Sophia Lalani ’25 highlighted the delegation’s success. “We’ve had a lot of newer kids who have only been in the program for just this year or last year, and all of them did super well and got awards. Even the kids who didn’t get awards, you could tell really improved over the past year. We’re really excited to see what the future of the program looks like.”
This conference was particularly rewarding for the ninth-grade delegates, who all earned individual awards.
“Most of [the experienced delegates] were training freshmen, so it was good to see the new talent in the program. I think it shows that we have a good future even after some of the upperclassmen leave,” reflected Ethan Cohen ’26.
This point was amplified by Ali Sabir ’26, president of the Model UN club comprising mostly freshmen, who emphasized that most of his pride stemmed from the success of the underclassmen.
“I’m very happy. The thing I’m most happy about is that all the freshmen won an award, especially because it was their first conference. I think the award is one thing, but more importantly, for their confidence, it’s a good way to start the year and start their MUN careers,” Sabir said.
For many ninth graders, the conference provided them with a positive and supportive experience that served as an inspiration for them to stay involved.
Ninth grader Zahra Mammadova ’28 shared, “I definitely want to continue MUN in high school because of this experience, and I know a lot of people in my grade are now already talking about being the Sec-Gens when we’re upperclassmen.”
The delegation’s leadership played a crucial role in guiding the team to success. Mammadova acknowledged their efforts, claiming that her win was a product of the effort she and her partner put in, as well as the care the leadership team put into training the new delegates.
The “Best Large Delegation” award was not just a reflection of individual accomplishments but also of the teamwork and dedication of the whole group. “When they score those awards for the delegation, it’s not only the kids who got individual awards, it’s a contribution from everyone that every single committee brings,” DeAndrea explained.
DeAndrea is “so proud that the group could come together to bring that trophy home,” and is ready for “many more successes [for the Model UN program] this school year.”
