The Westridge Model United Nations club attended a virtual conference on January 23 and 24, where they assembled with more than 100 students from across the nation to address the topic of “Mars in Crisis.” Set in the future, in the year 2060, with Mars already colonized and in crisis, delegates had to work together to create a unified government. The eight Westridge students who attended the conference were split among three different committees, each tackling a different topic. One committee was tasked with creating a new constitution for Mars, while another dealt with allocating resources, and the third addressed ethics and labor. 

Jennifer S. ’21, co-head of the Westridge club, was in the Constitutional Committee and earned the Research Award for her position statement, which demonstrated how to create a united Martian government. In her paper, Jennifer used research into existing governmental systems such as the United Nations and European Union to propose a system of governance that would ensure better treatment for workers, standardize trade regulations, and promote innovation.

“Our club hasn’t attended a lot of conferences, so it was really rewarding to work with people at different schools and get to know people who we otherwise never would have met,” said Jennifer. “I love that in Model UN everyone is working together to solve world problems. As a member, I love the public speaking aspect, but as co-head, I also really enjoy being able to talk about the mission of the UN and help other students become more engaged in current events in world politics.”