If you were in New York the week of March 16, 2026, chances are you ran into another Emery/Weiner School student or teacher! In addition to the Moot Beit Din team and many EWS theatre faculty, Emery’s very own Model United Nations (MUN) team was in the Big Apple. Eager to show off their impressive public speaking and research skills and meet students from all over the world, the team arrived at National High School Model United Nations (NHSMUN). Dressed in their business casual outfits, senior Angel Almaraz, juniors Meghan Conn, Kate Burke, Hadar Sagiv, Ava Bybee, Julius Lesnick Schafer, sophomores Sydney Rubenstein, Sydney McIngvale, Ryan Berger, and Maddie Collins showed up alongside thousands of other high school students ready to debate!
According to their website, NHSMUN is the largest, with thousands in attendance, and one of the most prestigious conferences for secondary school students, and the Emery delegation witnessed this firsthand. In addition to meeting students from not only the United States but Europe and South America, they engaged in a range of activities and five different sessions, taking advantage of how NHSMUN provided hands-on learning experiences for all levels of students.
Conn, who had never participated in MUN until this conference but attended meetings on and off throughout the year, saw the conference as an opportunity to make connections. “So much of MUN is being able to speak on the go and formulate your opinions really quickly,” she reveals. This crucial skill is something MUN teaches but that can also apply to a lot of life. Additionally, she explains how she not only participated in a session about the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in education but got many opportunities for networking. “What makes [MUN] fun is…you learn to interact in professional settings and learn the importance of networking, which is important as we are applying for internships.”
In contrast to Conn, Berger had joined MUN at the end of his sixth grade year after “seeing so many incredible upper schoolers compete in it and become my role models.” In the same session as Conn, he discussed many of the same topics, but ultimately took away the fact that “consistency is key and that you need to play the people, not their ideas.”
Similarly to Berger, Rubenstein also joined MUN in sixth grade after her friends and teacher encouraged her to try it out. After participating in several on-campus conferences, she “felt like a real diplomat who could make a true difference in the world.” After a two-year hiatus, she returned to MUN and “hasn’t looked back since.” At NHSMUN, Rubenstein participated in a session discussing the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)’s role in minimizing international adoptions and safeguarding children from infectious disease. Assuming the role of Belarus with fellow delegate Burke, she “began walking up to strangers and speaking with them about literally anything to begin creating bonds with people.” She realized “that the only way [she] would be able to stand out and succeed is if [she] made the first move, even if it was severely out of [her] comfort zone.” Because of her hard work outside the session and dedication to her role, a highlight of the trip for Rubenstein was being asked to serve as the committee’s preliminary speakers with Burke and to “talk about what we were able to accomplish in front of the entire conference at closing ceremonies.”
Burke originally got involved with MUN her freshman year of high school as a way to get involved and try new things but stuck around because she found the challenge of hard work rewarding. Collaborating with Rubenstein on the UNICEF committee she “learned how to better command attention, speak convincingly and passionately, and lead a team,” revealing that “all three of these were topics [she has] been striving to improve with since joining MUN.”
EWSMUN club sponsor, US Social Sciences Teacher Treasure Almaraz, is a large reason MUN even exists as an opportunity in the Upper School. After teaching MUN as a class at a previous school, she brought her skills and passion for MUN to Emery, transforming a program that only existed in the middle school, into a thriving high school club. While unable to attend this session, she testifies to the amount of preparation and effort the team put in beforehand. From low-stakes opportunities to practice at Emery and continuous support, it is no doubt that advisors and faculty are a large support component for the students.
Bruno Rios, world language co-department chair and US Spanish teacher, and Hannah Arrington, Upper School English teacher, accompanied the team on their trip to New York.
Unlike Arrington, Rios had never been involved in MUN before, aside from chaperoning a few trips over the years. When he was in high school, MUN was “not a thing … especially not in Mexico.” So, having the opportunity to accompany his high school students to a thousand-person-plus conference, was a total change for Rios. He acknowledges the hard work students put in beforehand, revealing, “They really prepared for the roles and they participated actively.” Meeting other advisors was very eye-opening for Rios, as he met many delegations from the Americas and Europe, which he considered a “fascinating phenomenon…as a lot of people from Latin America are getting involved in MUN which was not necessarily a thing that long ago.”
Arrington, using her background of MUN in high school, college, and at a previous teaching position, had an easy job “shepherding them [logistics wise] as each delegate had diligently prepared research and behaved professionally throughout the week in New York City.” Comparing Emery to a David amongst other Goliath schools that have pre-prepared curriculums, Arrington was “ever inspired by our students’ dedication to academic work outside of the classroom.” While the Emery delegation might have been on the smaller side, Arrington reports that “the NHSMUN chairs and hosts were amazed by our school’s organizational tools as we spearheaded creating a shared Google Drive with uploaded archival resources, useful links, and up-to-date news for students to share across committees.”
After a motion to adjourn the meeting, Emery delegates reflected on this NHSMUN experience, showing that hard work, dedication and true passion are the ingredients for success.
In the city that never sleeps, the Emery delegation proved they’re wide-awake to the importance of debate and diplomatic conversations.
