Zebra Tales
2022-23
Andres '24

Harvard Model Congress!

As part of the Model Congress Club on campus, I spent the past weekend at Harvard’s Model Congress (HMC) in Boston. Model Congress is a type of debate where one represents a senator or representative in a mock-congressional session. This weekend was especially noteworthy for two reasons: the academic learning I had during the conferences and the memories I created exploring Boston with my classmates.
For this specific conference, I got to represent Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa in the Senate Armed Services Committee. This was especially interesting because I was not very familiar with the topics we were going to discuss—selective service systems (the draft) and defense contractors—so I knew that I was going to learn a lot. Although I researched and prepared for the conference, it was definitely a step out of my comfort zone! However, as I spent more time at the conference, I began to better understand the issues at hand and felt how my public speaking skills improved. By the end of the weekend, I was writing draft bills to address the topics and even presented my co-authored bill in front of a few hundred students.

Another interesting aspect of my time at HMC was the people that I forged friendships with. In between debates and meetings, I meet people from all over the US and the world. Ironically, the student next to me was from Spain, so I got to talk with him in Spanish. From California to Nebraska to Massachusetts, every delegate had different stories to share and, therefore, nuanced perspectives on our topics. I look forward to keeping in touch with them!

Outside of the conference, some of my closest friends and I were able to explore Boston. From dumplings to Greek food, we discovered some of Boston’s hidden gems. It was particularly fun to walk around Newbury and have some change of scenery from Groton. Furthermore, I was happily surprised to have made some new friends from Groton. As there were only fifteen Groton students at HMC, I got to talk with Grotonians from different forms and with different interests. 

Overall, HMC was full of surprises and memories. From the quality of the debate to the unexpected friendships I created, HMC was exhilarating. I am definitely going next year!
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