What happens when a team of ambitious teenagers works together to lead, encourage, and guide another?
On the weekend of November 8-9, Agoura High School’s very own Model United Nations chapter (MUN), founded by now seniors Tori Tran and Alexandra Altenbernd just last year, made its exciting debut at the annual Bruin Model United Nations Conference.
Bruin MUN, hosted at the University of California, Los Angeles’s sunny Westwood campus each fall, is a two-day conference in which over 2,000 high-school-aged student delegates from around the country research, debate, and represent their delegations. The conference boasts advanced, novice, and even crisis committees, all in which delegates work together to solve real-world global issues.
Sounds like fun, right? It definitely was for the 23 delegates representing Agoura High School! However, this incredible experience didn’t come without weeks of careful preparation, learning, and planning.
Agoura MUN students spent the lunchtime meetings leading up to their first college conference learning valuable diplomatic skills, such as writing position papers and public speaking. For many of the delegates, this was their first time attending a Model UN conference ever!
So, what was the Bruin MUN experience like for Agoura MUN’s delegates?
The mornings were early (with most delegates heading to the conference around 6-7 AM both days), and typically consisted of registration and a team photo followed by a quick breakfast at Kerckhoff Hall before splitting up into respective committees.
At lunch break, the delegates had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to truly get a feel of what it’s like to be a student at UCLA while roaming the campus. Many wandered into the Westwood Village for lunch, while others explored the campus or headed to the gift shop.
Committees also offered a brief “College Q&A” session after lunch on Sunday, where delegates could ask their chairs, UCLA students themselves, about college life, high school tips, and the admissions process. It was one of the few moments of the weekend when students could be curious high schoolers in their committee rooms, rather than work professionally as their delegations.
At around 5 PM on Sunday, after the second committee session of the day (and the final session for the entire conference) had finished, Agoura MUN headed to the Bruin MUN closing ceremony, located at the Los Angeles Tennis Center on UCLA’s campus. They headed home with a Research Award, won by senior Caden Chiang as Austria in the CCPCJ (United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice) committee.
As per Californian tradition, this trip wasn’t completed without a pit stop at the Westwood In-N-Out for dinner first to celebrate the weekend.
What truly made Agoura’s Model UN chapter stand out at Bruin MUN is that it is student-led and managed under the guidance and supervision of its faculty advisor, Mrs. Lizarde. This is unlike many other chapters in attendance, who have Model United Nations as an elective class at their schools, instructed by a designated coach. Mrs. Lizarde, an English teacher at Agoura, stepped up to take time out of her own weekend to ensure that Bruin MUN was the best possible educational experience for the delegates.
Although they have only two years of experience with the Model UN program, Agoura MUN’s presidents pulled together an amazing feat at UCLA: bravely leading, training, and guiding fellow Charger delegates at one of California’s largest and most prestigious Model UN conferences, demonstrating the school’s commitment to excellence and leadership.
For Agoura High’s rapidly expanding Model UN chapter, Bruin MUN was not just any ordinary conference: it was a stepping stone for the new branch as a whole, redefining what it means to work as a team and step up as a leader, all while repping A-town.
While Agoura MUN’s future is yet to be unraveled, it’s almost certain that next fall, the Chargers will be back in Westwood, ready to take on yet another Bruin Model United Nations Conference.
