Kent Model UN Goes to CMUNCE

Morgan Collins, Campus News Reporter

On January 10th, students from the Kent Model UN club participated in a four day long conference at Columbia University in New York City. The Columbia Model UN Conference and Exhibition (CMUNCE) has been one of the most challenging student conferences for the past sixteen years. This year, 54 schools from around the country competed in the conference, with more than 700 delegates in attendance.

Fifteen Kent students – Anson Tsang ’18, Kinsey Bluestein ’17, Trey Walsh ’18, Stella Klingebiel ’19, Alice Benjamin ’18, Roshni Saxena ’19, Alex Patyako ’18, Christina Khalil ’18, Sergei Kuzmichev ’17, Andreas Theodoropoulos ’17, Bryan Chong ’17, Renata Gladkikh ’18, Allyson Cook ’18, Sandro Tkeshelashvili ’17, and Morgan Collins ’17 – engaged in fast-paced debates on a variety of subjects, participating in committees ranging from Putin’s Cabinet to a Marvel super heroes-themed committee.

Two Kent delegates were awarded prizes for their exceptional work. Tkeshelashvili received the Outstanding Delegate award as Senator Everett Dirksen in Nixon’s campaign team for the 1960 Election. Collins received an Honorable Mention as John Chafee, Secretary of the Navy, in Nixon’s 1969 National Security Council.

Chong, president of the club, was pleased with this year’s conference: “It was a very exciting conference this year,” he commented. He also mentioned that he learned many new skills while “engaging in such a fast-paced committee where personal control and actions dictate the outcome.” When asked about the future of the club, he remarked, “I look forward to organizing events this coming spring. Stay tuned.” Chong has big things in store for the coming spring and will publicize the specifics as they come together.

The club meets every Wednesday at 6:30pm in the Headmaster’s study. The club members always welcome new faces. If you are interested in the club or want to learn more about the art of debating, come join one of their meetings.