As eleventh in the nation and looking to top that ranking, Langley’s Model United Nations club has a reputation for competing fiercely, bringing their A-game to conferences, and above all else; winning. Kicking off their season with a national conference held at the University of Virginia, Langley MUN has high hopes to keep up their record at VAMUNC. At a college conference like VAMUNC, Langley “MUNers” expect the competition level to be intense. Topics are discussed more in depth than at local conferences and according to sophomore Zahra Quettawala the atmosphere at a college level conference is generally “high-stress.” But this year competition is expected to be stiffer than usual because the number one MUN school in the nation and one of Langley MUN’s biggest rivals, Horace Mann High School, will be attending the conference. MUN officer senior Natalie Fahlberg acknowledged Horace Mann as serious competition by saying, “those kids live, eat, and breathe Model UN.”
Although the competition will be cutthroat, officers and students participating in the conference alike believe that Langley will be able to uphold its good Model UN reputation. The officers trust that their mix of veterans and rookies will lead Langley to success. Officer senior Jiho Kim expressed enthusiasm for the newer members on the team traveling to this conference saying there were “quite a few exciting freshmen and sophomores.”
VAMUNC is Langley’s first conference of the season and gives new members a unique experience while reintroducing older members to the world of MUN. Since most students take a vacation from public speaking during the summer, this conference allows MUN veterans to ease back into their groove. Even though this conference is like a refresher, it also helps prepare the delegates for other upcoming college conferences at William and Mary and the University of Pennsylvania.
Even though the competition is destined to be bitter, according to officers and students, the key to Langley’s success is that they only expect the level of competition to increase. MUNers will need to master their leadership skills and problem solving in order to make their ranking higher. “We’re a team used to wining and I’d like to keep it that way,” said Kim.