Model UN Team Competes at Conference

Nineteen members of NMH’s Model UN team recently attended the 38th Annual Philips Andover Model UN Conference (PAIMUN XVIII) — for many of them, their first-ever conference — with three receiving awards for their work.  

The conference, which was run by students, included three committees: The UN General Assembly addressed the conflict in Sudan. The Disarmament and International Security Committee addressed the use of artificial intelligence in warfare. There was also an Ad Hoc Committee, which Priya Chatterjee ’25 described as a “crisis committee,” that, in this case, addressed the storming of the Bastille during the French Revolution. “Unlike regular committees, we received topics on the spot and dealt with crises in real time,” Chatterjee noted.

The NMH team was led by Gab Alingog ’24, who took part in the Ad Hoc Committee along with Chatterjee. “Priya and I competed as part of the Revolutionary side against the Royalists to storm the Bastille during the French Revolution,” Alingog said. “I was Marquis de Lafayette and I controlled the military of our side.” 

Alingog was named Best Delegate for her work on the committee. Chatterjee, who admitted being “a bit nervous” about serving on an Ad Hoc Committee for the first time, was named Outstanding Delegate for her work representing journalist and politician Jean-Paul Marat. 

Kelvin Cheung ’25 sat on the Disarmament and International Security Committee. “I represented Sweden on the topic of reducing military use of artificial intelligence,” he said. “We [were] trying to find a solution to ending the use of lethal autonomous systems.” All the delegates were in agreement about the overall goal, he said, so the committee members spent their time debating which nation presented the most detailed plan for achieving that goal. 

As was the case for a number of his teammates, this was Cheung’s first Model UN conference. “I observed quietly at the start to learn the process,” he said. Once he felt comfortable, he began making the case for his ideas — to limit the use of AI in offensive actions and to establish AI training programs and partnerships in developing countries — in caucuses. His ideas were accepted into the core of the committee’s proposal, and he persuaded other delegates to join his bloc. “As I was very vocal during the second half of the committee meeting, I became a spokesperson for my committee and later became the bloc leader,” said Cheung, who earned an Honorable Mention for his work. “The two most valuable things I gained from attending the summit were experience and friendship,” he said.

The Andover conference was the last Model UN event of Alingog’s high school career. “I [was] happy to see many of our delegates competing for the first time and how eager they [were],” she said. “It reminded me of my first competition and made me extremely grateful for the opportunities that NMH presents its students.” 

"We are proud of our NMH delegates, who engaged with their peers at PAIMUN XVIII with exceptional diplomacy, open-mindedness, and respect,” said teacher Tiffany Thiri who advises the team along with Katie Hunt. “We are grateful to Philips Andover for providing such an excellent platform for our students to engage in high-level debates about critical global issues alongside their peers."

Top: NMH competitors at the Philips Andover Model UN Conference. Photo by Asher Jackson '25.
Bottom: Priya Chatterjee ’25 with her Outstanding Delegate certificate. Photo by Gab Alingog ’24.