From February 15-18, Washington, D.C. played host to more than 3,500 students from across the world at the North American Invitational Model United Nations. NAIMUN is one of the largest and oldest UN simulations for high school students in North America and the world. Hosted by Georgetown University, the conference has been a forum in which a dynamic range of young students come from around the world to seek, through discussion, negotiation and debate, solutions to the various problems of the world.
Fourth-form student Mauricio Garcia Gojon was selected to the All-American Model UN travel team – a very competitive team which has won awards at NAIMUN since 2016. The team is comprised of some of the best students from across the US, with high school juniors and seniors from Ohio, Michigan, California, Washington State and New England. Mauricio was the only sophomore on this team.
Requirements to join the elite All-American Model UN travel team mandate that students must have at least two years of competitive Model United Nations experience and have participated in at least two conferences. In addition, requirements include exemplary understanding of parliamentary procedure, excellent written and verbal communication skills, the ability to research thoroughly advanced matters of international affairs, and leadership experience.
"I was in a very special crisis committee: The Summit of the Maorī Iwi, 1860," Mauricio explains. "Unlike usual Model UN committees, this was a more dynamic committee. In over six committee sessions, I engaged in nearly 15 hours of intense debate and fast-paced decision making."
To prepare for the conference, Mauricio pored over obscure books in the library and sought out help from Portsmouth Abbey faculty. "You wouldn't imagine how many books we have on specific topics such as the Maori, and how knowledgeable and 
helpful faculty had been in this endeavor," Mauricio says. "Most importantly, all my friends and housemates were constantly dropping by my room to check on how I was doing, and they cheered me on for the conference."
At the end of the three-day conference, Mauricio walked away with the Best Delegate Award from his committee – the highest commemoration for an individual delegate. In addition, the All-American Model UN travel team earned Best Small Delegation for the third year in a row.
"This is my third award while at Portsmouth Abbey and 13th in my life. My team won the Best Small Delegation Award, the highest commemoration for a small team," reports Mauricio. In addition, Portsmouth Abbey was included in the Top 100 Schools for Model UN list in UNMOD Magazine, a Model UN magazine.
Congratulations to Mauricio and the entire All-American team for their success!