The LFNY team in front of the gate of the prestigious Harvard campus.
Eighteen Y11 and Y12 students participated in the 29th annual Harvard Model Congress in Boston this year. Lycée students were among 1400 students from 20 states to participate in the government simulation conference organized by Harvard University students.
This year our students assumed roles in the United States Congress, Supreme Court, the Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Council, G20, and President Nixon’s cabinet for the historical committee. For weeks students had been conducting research into their assigned roles in order to faithfully interpret the characters they were assigned. At the conference, they learned about the importance of collaboration and compromise to produce legislation or to reach decisions in their respective committees. “Through the conference, students begin to connect academics with the world around them and, most importantly, begin to get involved and understand the role they can play in changing the world for the better“, one HMC faculty advisor said.
A special tour with LFNY alumni
During the four-day conference, students also had the opportunity to visit Harvard University. We connected with alumni from the Lycée Français who are currently undergraduates at Harvard: Sophia Lajaunie (Class of 2010), Daniela Suarez-Roebling (Class of 2012) and Onyeka Nnaemeka (Class of 2012) kindly gave us a tour of the campus. Some students also attended a class on American Economic Policy and learned about the consequences of long-term deficits, before considering potential solutions. Others attended a chemistry class.
Our students’ team preparation paid dividends with four students receiving awards for outstanding participation and excellence. Among the recipients were Zach P. (Y12), Selin Y. (Y12), Edouard D. (Y11), and Julie K. (Y11). We are proud of the entire team and look forward to returning a strong team for HMC 2015 to match this year’s success.
Read last year’s highlights with students testimonies.
About the Author :
Arthur Plaza holds a Ph.D in History and French Studies from New York University. He also studied at Sciences-Po and was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to conduct research in France in 2004-2005. Part of his research was published in the collective volume entitled “Politiques de la laïcité au XXe siècle” (PUF, 2007). In addition, he has been an editorial assistant at the scholarly journal, French Politics, Culture & Society.