By Natasha Randeniya
Assistant News Editor
Mira Costa’s Model United Nations (MUN) program hosted its 29th annual Los Angeles Invitational Model United Nations (LAIMUN) conference on Dec. 2-3 at Mira Costa.
The event brought students together from throughout southern California to debate myriad global issues. According to junior Press Corps delegate Ellie Black, the conference was a big success due to all of the time and planning Costa’s MUN students put into it.
“My favorite part about hosting LAIMUN at Costa was providing students from all over the state with a conference that held a variety of diverse topics to debate and watching them put all of their ideas to use through extensive preparation and passionate speaking,” said Black. “I learned a lot from this year’s LAIMUN conference, including the amount of work and preparation it takes to put on a conference behind the scenes. As a team, the Costa MUN students worked very hard to make LAIMUN the best that it has ever been.”
Preparation for LAIMUN started in June, when student chairs paired up to research each committee, according to senior Secretary-General Akash Mishra. Throughout fall, Costa MUN members handled logistics like registration, sorting out country and committee assignments, getting teacher approvals for classroom use and training Costa chairs in parliamentary procedure.
“I’m one of the two Secretary-Generals of the Mira Costa MUN program, and the main part of my job is to plan and execute the entire LAIMUN conference,” said Mishra. “Hosting LAIMUN XXIX this year was a ton of fun because I really enjoyed being a leader of a great program on campus and sharing Costa MUN’s values and style with 1,000 students across the state.”
LAIMUN hosted debates on a variety of global issues, including climate change, international security and human rights. According to Black, it was a chance for students to learn more about these topics and practice their negotiation and diplomacy skills.
“I enjoyed being on the other side of a debate for a change and moderating a committee with the other members of my dias,” said junior Chair Jaymeson Rapone. “It was rewarding to watch all of our hard work pay off, and I’m proud of the program for putting together a great conference.”
The conference highlighted the talent of the participants and the importance of developing diplomatic skills in young leaders. According to Mishra, everyone in the class thought the conference was a success. They even received feedback from several delegates that it was the best conference they ever attended.
“My favorite part of hosting the LAIMUN conference was working with the other people in the program,” said Senior Crisis Undersecretary General Abby Simmons. “As a leader, I had the opportunity to help and teach others new to the program. I’m happy to say it is our most successful conference yet.”
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