The Palo Alto High School Model United Nations club is celebrating an exceptional performance this weekend at the Santa Clara Valley Model United Nations Conference, where they received six awards.

Club president Tara Madhav says the team’s accolades were well-earned.

“Our success at this conference was the culmination of a lot of hard work by the club this year and, in the long run, the past five years,” Madhav said. “SCVMUN was our most successful conference ever, and to see everyone’s hard work pay off was amazing.”

According to Madhav, the club members dove into committee proceedings, practiced their speeches, and wrote strong position papers, eventually resulting in their success. 

Sophomore Asia Gardias and freshman Ryan Wisowaty won Best Delegates in the United Nations Environmental Programme committee for representing Bolivia and speaking about tailing dams and genetically modified organisms. Gardias said her partner Wisowaty played a large part in their victory due to his combined ability to speak on the spot and his knowledge on genetically modified organisms.

“I’m seriously very proud of our team,” Gardias said. “Everyone did really great. I’m going to be so sad to see the seniors go, we’re all going to cry.”

Additionally, Madhav and senior club vice president Alicia Mies received Honorable Mentions as Bolivia on the LEGAL committee.  The legal committee deals with issues of international law and legal infrastructure. Mies, along with former Paly student Laure Blanchez, who now attends Li Po Chun United World College in Hong Kong, won the first major award for the club in 2016 as Outstanding Delegates, one of the three tiers of awards that can be won.

Seniors Kimberly Markevitch and MUN secretary Aidan Maese-Czeropski both won Honorable Mentions for Bolivia on the SOCHUM (Social-Humanitarian) committee in the conference. The committee deals with social, humanitarian and cultural issues such as reproductive rights, racism, refugees and child rights. Maese-Czeropski previously received a Verbal Commendation in November 2016 at the Stanford Model United Nations Conference.

Madhav is excited about what lies in store for the club.

“I know that this conference marks a new mark of achievement in Model UN’s continued growth and achievement as a club,” Madhav said.