Menlo’s Model UN and robotics teams recently traveled to prestigious events outside the state for the first time — Model UN attended Harvard’s annual United Nations Conference, while the robotics team competed in Canada’s Signature Event from Feb. 6 to Feb. 10. Both trips red students valuable learning experiences and a chance to engage with talented peers from around the world. These trips were significant milestones for both teams, who were able to go beyond the usual regional competitions and explore new opportunities for growth and connection.
Most recently, Menlo’s Model UN team visited the Harvard campus during Menlo’s winter break from Feb. 19 to Feb. 23, where junior Hanna Yu won Best Delegate and freshman Owen Bowie, sophomore Neil Hutton and junior Savannah Smith each earned honorable mentions.
For the attendees, participating in the conference was a unique experience because Harvard’s rich history and strong reputation attracts talented and competitive students from around the country. “Something that’s fun is that Harvard just felt like a different league altogether,” Hutton said. “There were tons of private schools from the East Coast, and the community was really good.”
Additionally, he noted that the conference’s connection to Harvard Model Congress, a collegiate program known for producing multiple lawmakers and senators, made it especially compelling to attend.
The robotics team traveled even farther to attend the Signature Event competition in Canada, where they competed for a chance to qualify for the world championship and placed 20th out of 200. It was their first time traveling outside of the country for robotics, which came with uncertainty and nervousness, according to junior Drew Babel. However, Babel enjoyed the experience overall. “The environment was really different, but everyone was super nice and kind. […] Some people even offered to assist in adding their own skills and perspective to improve our designs,” Babel said.
For many of these students, part of the joy of traveling is the sense of independence and freedom that is given. “You’re without your parents and you’re visiting Boston by yourself and with friends, which is something you also don’t [usually] get,” Hutton said.
However, with increased freedom comes the need for intense preparation. In Model UN, members had to do pre-conference assignments, such as writing position papers, as well as creating videos explaining past actions to solve the briefing issue. For the robotics team, besides building the machinery, students also had to organize the parts and tools efficiently, ensuring that some could be checked as carry-on. “We couldn’t check batteries in, which was an issue,” Babel said.
The robotics team also encountered issues with making sure their robot stayed intact in the box as they traveled throughout Canada. The main challenge was that there wasn’t a clear system for organizing team trips, such as requiring specific forms. This lack of structure and organization on who best to meet and coordinate with made it harder for the team to arrange travel, compared to other teams that have established procedures with faculty actively handling logistics. “We know Mock Trial does that, but they have faculty that organize it for them, whereas for us we just went to Mr. Gelb to ask how to do it,” Babel said. “It was kind of a mess towards the end.”
