Edison High School Wins International Awards at NHSMUN

Kaitlin Hoey

The EHS Model UN Team poses for a pre-conference photo. Back row (from left): Sushanth Balaraman ’24, Avinash Aravind ’23, Sahana Ali ’23, Madhav Mandala ’24, Taha Shaikh ’24, Mithil Mishra ’25, Krish Shah ’24; Front row (from left): Srinidhi Tammana ’25, Vinay Menon ‘23, Shreya Tammana ’25, Soumita Banerjee ’25, Ishaan Shetty ’24.

MITHIL MISHRA '25, SRINIDHI TAMMANA '25, and SOUMITA BANERJEE '25
April 28, 2022

The Edison High School Model United Nations (EHSMUN) team won two national awards last month at the National High School Model United Nations Conference (NHSMUN) hosted in New York City. Over the course of four days, students from the organization participated in a series of debates and committees that confronted hypothetical problems faced by the real-world United Nations. NHSMUN is, according to its website, “the world’s largest and most prestigious Model UN conference.” 

The delegates of EHSMUN were able to win two awards. Soumita Banerjee ’25 and Ishaan Shetty ’24, representing Saudi Arabia, won the award of merit. Sushanth Balaraman ’24 and Avinash Aravind ’23, representing the United Arab Emirates, won the award of excellence. Merging together, leading, and cooperating with students from Italy to California, the delegates were able to secure a spot as one of the top delegates in their individual committees. 

  • The EHS Model UN Team poses for a pre-conference photo. Back row (from left): Sushanth Balaraman ’24, Avinash Aravind ’23, Sahana Ali ’23, Madhav Mandala ’24, Taha Shaikh ’24, Mithil Mishra ’25, Krish Shah ’24; Front row (from left): Srinidhi Tammana ’25, Vinay Menon ‘23, Shreya Tammana ’25, Soumita Banerjee ’25, Ishaan Shetty ’24.

    Kaitlin Hoey
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  • The EHS Model UN Team posed for a pre-conference photo at Metuchen Train Station. From Left to Right: Soumita Banerjee ’25, Vinay Menon ‘23, Sahana Ali ’23, Srinidhi Tammana ’25, Shreya Tammana ’25 Avinash Aravind ’23, Taha Shaikh ’24, Madhav Mandala ’24, Mithil Mishra ’25, Krish Shah ’24, Ishaan Shetty ’24, Sushanth Balaraman ’24

    '

  • Photo of NHSMUN opening ceremony.

    taken by Kaitlin Hoey
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  • The EHS Model UN Team at Central Park after committee sessions. Back row (from left): Shreya Tammana ’25, Vinay Menon ’23, Sushanth Balaraman ’24, Mithil Mishra ’25, Ishaan Shetty ’24, Avinash Aravind ’23, Madhav Mandala ’24, Krish Shah ’24, Soumita Banerjee ’25 Top row (from left) Sahana Ali 23’, Srinidhi Tammana 25’, Taha Shaikh ’24

    taken by Kaitlin Hoey
    '

  • Photo of NHSMUN committee room in progress.

    taken by Kaitlin Hoey
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  • The EHS Model UN Team at Rockefeller Center after committee sessions. Back row (from left): Mithil Mishra ’25, Madhav Mandala ’24, Krish Shah ’24, Avinash Aravind ’23, Sahana Ali ’23, Soumita Banerjee ’25, Vinay Menon ‘23, Srinidhi Tammana ’25; Front row (from left): Sushanth Balaraman ’24, Taha Shaikh ’24, Ishaan Shetty ’24, Shreya Tammana ’25.

    taken by Kaitlin Hoey
    '

  • Model UN delegates took time to explore their hotel. For many, this is was their first trip away from home without their families.

    taken by Taha Shaikh '24
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  • Members of the EHS Model UN pose while visiting Central Park. Pictured, from left, are Sushanth Balaraman ’24, Sahana Ali ’23, Srinidhi Tammana ’25, Shreya Tammana ’25, and Vinay Menon ‘23.

    taken by Vinay Menon '23
    '

  • The EHS Model UN Team posed for a post-conference photo with awards. From Left to Right: Vinay Menon ‘23, Sahana Ali ’23, Taha Shaikh ’24, Mithil Mishra ’25, Krish Shah ’24, Avinash Aravind ’23, Soumita Banerjee ’25, Madhav Mandala ’24, Sushanth Balaraman ’24, Srinidhi Tammana ’25, Shreya Tammana ’25 Not present in the photo: Ishaan Shetty ’24

    taken by Vinay Menon '23
    '
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“I honestly was not expecting it, but it felt great to end the trip off with some kind of recognition for the work I put in,” said Ishaan Shetty ‘24. “When I received my award, I also had this great sense of gratitude for our advisors…for making this experience possible for us, and my fellow chapter members, who helped me with my research and gave me feedback.”

The team had the opportunity to meet students from all over the world. Many of these international students learned English as a second language, but that did not prevent them from communicating their ideas. In the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) committee, Banerjee and Shetty met Davide Costanza ‘23 from Italy, who came with the World Students Connection Italia Global Leaders. 

“It was great. Meeting all these different people and coming into contact with different cultures helped me to gain a further understanding of how big our world truly is,” said Costanza. “I will never forget my time as a delegate.”

Apart from meetings with students, many admired guest speakers were also at the NHSMUN conference: Douglass Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris; John Kerry, the first special Presidential envoy for climate; and Susan Rice, the Director of the United States Domestic Policy Council, among others. All these speakers gave students the inspiration to move forward with their debates, pushing the limits of their creativity to come up with innovative solutions to world problems.

The delegates also had the opportunity to explore New York City and its attractions, such as Central Park, Rockefeller Center, the Lego Store, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and the local restaurants in the city. 

As the conference came to a close and students returned to school, students from around the world reflected upon their experiences at NHSMUN. 

“This year’s NHSMUN was truly an incredible experience, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I can confidently say I am a better person because of this year’s conference. It allowed me to push my comfort zone, make lifelong memories, and most importantly, build meaningful connections with people from all over the globe,” said Matthew Neu ‘24 from Lebanon High School, New Hampshire. 

“I really enjoyed the overall NHSMUN experience. It was pretty new to me, going out of state for a Model UN conference and staying in a room without my parents,” said Balaraman. “I can say with confidence, though, that the trip was definitely worth it. I had a ton of fun debating with my fellow delegates and really enjoyed my experience in the heart of the city. The whole trip was enjoyable from start to finish.”

Below is a list of all the delegates who attended NHSMUN from EHS:

Saudi Arabia

  • Mithil Mishra ’25 and Krish Shah ’24 – United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
  • Soumita Banerjee ’25 and Ishaan Shetty ’24 – International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)
  • Taha Shaikh ’24 and Madhav Mandala ’24 – The Special Political and Decolonization Committee (SPECPOL)

United Arab Emirates

  • Srinidhi Tammana ’25 and Shreya Tammana ’25 – Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Committee (SOCHUM)
  • Sushanth Balaraman ’24 and Avinash Aravind ’23 – United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat)
  • Sahana Ali ’23 and Vinay Menon ‘23 –  Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)