MFS Hosts Sixth Quaker Model UN Conference
Photo:QMUNC student Secretaries General Maya DeAndrea ’25 (left) and Haila Desai ’24 with Director of the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) in NYC Sarah Clarke.
More than 80 students and advisors visited host Moorestown Friends School on Sunday, December 10 for the sixth Quaker Model United Nations Conference (QMUNC). Delegations from Germantown Friends School, Abington Friends School, and Friends’ Central School attended along with a few unaffiliated delegates joined the host delegation from MFS. Serving as Secretaries General for the event were Maya DeAndrea ’25 and Haila Desai ’24.
Keynote remarks were provided by Sarah Clarke, Director of the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) in New York City. She leads QUNO’s engagement with the United Nations, diplomats, and civil society representatives, bringing Quaker practice and insights to the work of the United Nations system.
After keynote remarks, delegates tackled topics which ranged from COVID-19, the Senate Titanic inquiry, the Iranian Revolution, the G-20 Summit, the Space Race, and the Hunger Games. MFS Model UN Advisor and History Teacher Clark Thomson reflected: “There was a great amount of joy throughout the day, and the discussions were of an extremely high level,” he said. “Our student chairs were exceptional. I think back to when QMUNC was just a student capstone idea. As Anna Goula (MFS Class of 2018) worked on it, I let her know that if it didn’t result in a conference, it would still be a valuable experience. Today, we finished our sixth. And every year it is a valuable experience.”
QMUNC was created and organized by Anna Goula ’18, Co-Secretary General of the MFS Model UN program, as her senior year capstone project. The conference was designed to help students of Quaker schools gain a better perspective on how Quakerism affects many modern world issues. By using the six Quaker testimonies as a foundation for each of the six QMUNC committees, the participants examined how influential Quaker values are around the world.
2023 MFS QMUNC Award Winners:
Simplicity: G20 Summit
Arjun Khandar ’27 – Outstanding Delegate
Maya Litinetsky ’27 – Distinguished Delegate
Integrity: The Hunger Games
Emmie Huynh ’27 – Best Delegate
Zaydan Lalani ’26 – Outstanding Delegate
Community: 1912 Senate Titanic Inquiry
Daisy Maturo ’25 – Outstanding Delegate
Equality: The Space Race
Chloe Marshall ’26 – Best Delegate
Rohan Dhulipalla ’27 – Distinguished Delegate
Stewardship: COVID-19 Public Health Emergency
Ethan Cohen ’26 – Best Delegate
Livia Kam ’26 – Outstanding Delegate