Berkeley Model United Nations (BMUN) held its 72nd conference from Mar 8-10. BMUN is a student-run organization at UC Berkeley, with more than two thousand high school students worldwide gathering at Berkeley each year to participate in BMUN. BMUN aims to raise awareness of global issues and promote diplomatic skills through United Nations-style debates. Delegates debate international affairs while representing various countries of the United Nations.

Eighteen UHS MUN delegates competed at BMUN 72, some working in dual delegations and some flying solo. Six delegates won awards, with juniors Christopher Burke and Bruno Rodriguez Diaz and seniors Kerry Zhang and Julia Murdock winning the Outstanding Award, and juniors Joshua Hsi and Claire Wen winning Best Delegate. Wen was also honored with the Research Award.

The conference’s theme was “Transcending Boundaries Amidst Interconnecting Challenges.”

“On the first day, my committee, on the International Labor Organization, had a large, open discussion where we created resolutions, and in the following two days, we presented speeches about what resolutions should be passed and what modifications should be made,” junior Rustin Jafarkhani said. “Other delegates had different formats and topics, like one about the Asian economic crisis in the nineties or the Myanmar Civil War.”

Most of the time though was not spent in committee, and delegates had the opportunity to sightsee and explore the Berkeley campus.

“I met a lot of people from SoCal that I’m still in touch with,” junior Shuba Senthilkumar said. “I really enjoyed touring and seeing Japantown and what UC Berkeley has to offer.”

From trying new foods to visiting the many attractions of San Francisco to enjoying a UHS MUN alumni dinner, BMUN was an exciting experience for all of its delegates. BMUN allows students to meet many experienced and skilled delegates who can provide insight into certain topics.

“Going to our local conferences is fun, but the next level of competition at travel conferences is so valuable to grow,” Wen said. “It’s also great meeting chairs who are more experienced in MUN and just more knowledgeable about these topics in general because you can tell they’re passionate about them.”

Here is to another successful year, MUN delegates.