The Model Congress/Model United Nations Club, advised by Matt Haggerty, competed at the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference on Friday, March 14, 2025, at Lehigh University.
This particular EPC event was focused on the Model United Nations. In this competition, each student from a different school is given a selection of 3-4 countries to represent. After that, they can select a committee based on a real United Nations committee, where they engage in debates with fellow delegates on ways to enhance the world.
President Caroline Byra, ’26, won first place for Best Delegate in the Social and Humanitarian Committee. Byra has been president for two years; before that, she served as vice president of the club as a sophomore. Byra plans on studying chemical engineering at Cornell University.
Byra shared, “I was incredibly proud to have placed at Lehigh’s Model UN because I have dedicated years of hard work to this club throughout high school. I have participated in various competitions, from being selected among hundreds to serve as a Supreme Court Justice at Princeton’s Model Congress to competing at Harvard’s Model Congress. These experiences have helped me build confidence and strengthen my ability to compete.”
Aryanna Vidaic, ’26, won second runner-up for Best Resolution in the International Disarmament and Security Committee.
Vidaic explained her role in the competition: “The topic I chose to write a resolution for was in the International Disarmament and Security Committee, where we discussed the current safety of our world. I represented the delegate from Croatia, and my resolution focused on global cybersecurity and making an international cybersecurity council to ensure the safety of different countries’ software, both private and public, to ensure the software is not compromised.”
Vidaic shared how it felt to win: “At the award ceremony, when they were calling out awards, and I heard my country’s name, I was very excited! I knew the hard work I put into it paid off! I was proud to represent Stroudsburg at the event!”
