Harvard Model Congress Asia 2011 By Sharmishta Sivaramakrishnan Grade 11 Student
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s an adolescent, all one really desires is a channel to voice one’s opinions and make a difference in this world. Fulfilling this, as well as several other purposes, Harvard Model Congress Asia (HMCA) is a high school organization with the aim of providing students with an outlet for expressing their viewpoints on the actions of the U.S. government as well as other topical world issues. HMCA thrives under the leadership of student officers Sharmishta (Mishti) Sivaramakrishnan, Barbara Hoffer, and Sejal Singh, and under the guidance of three teacher-sponsors Rick Bisset, Erik Torjesen, and Jack Fee, and with support from the curriculum office. Twenty-five club members attended the 2011 HMCA Conference for the second time in the history of the club. Held at the National University of Singapore (NUS) campus between January 14-16, the conference had several committees, both international and domestic, headed and organized by Harvard undergraduate students. Several of our committee members were placed in committees such as APEC, Supreme Court, Presidential Cabinet, House of Representatives, and the Senate with the sole goal of representing their specific roles with wellprepared research and neatly-crafted speeches. Some of our members even participated in special branches such as Press Corps, another way of channeling their passion for politics through newspaper-related activities. The conference itself was a resounding success and
the members were able to extract some quintessential experiences. In addition, seven members of our team were given commendation awards for their accomplishments in their respective committees: Barbara Hoffer, Kelsey DeBerry, Tyler Stuart, Rohan Desai, Preeti Varathan, Karel Abdi, and Olivia Kotha. From making new friends to passionate speaking skills and new perspectives, HMCA members were well-trained in the art of being high-profile diplomats and politicians with key lessons of subtlety, leadership, and organization. Without a doubt, HMCA members are eagerly awaiting next year’s conference and another year of fun-filled scholarship.
www.sas.edu.sg
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