Great Success for LFA at PACMUN 2022 in Hawaii

On November 14th, Air Canada flight 517 departed for Honolulu with forty excited LFA students from grades 10-12, Mrs. Mills, Señora Espinel, and Mrs. Canil, all headed for the 2022 PACMUN conference.
PACMUN is Hawaii's largest MUN conference, held at the Hawaii Convention Center. This year, the conference brought together delegates from many different regions, from Vancouver to Hawaii to California. The LFA students were in a variety of committees, including the United Nations Environment Agency (UNEA)), the Committee for the Status of Women (CSW), the World Health Organization (WHO), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Imperial Court of Japan, and the four Joint Crisis Committees: Russia, Ukraine, EU and USA. The Joint Crisis Committees all responded to the Ukraine crisis in real time, with every action affecting the other committees. All of these committees ranged in difficulty and topic, but every LFA delegate challenged herself and there is no doubt each and every one of them came out a better delegate than before.

When asked about her PACMUN experience, Paula Herrera said, “PACMUN was my first MUN conference and was a delightful experience. Being in CSW, which was a large general assembly committee, allowed me to make many connections with other delegates while learning to voice my opinions in front of this very big delegation and be heard. PACMUN has made me a more confident and determined individual, and I look forward to what the future holds for MUN!” Chloe Cheng, a delegate from UNEA, stated that her PACMUN experience was “very memorable and interesting.” She says, “I really enjoyed the crisis topic of overfishing and I learnt a lot about the increasingly reckless methods of fishing being used in our world today.”  

LFA had great success, bringing home 9 awards including the Best Position Paper, and Outstanding and Honorable Mention Awards. Congratulations to our award winners: Jennibelle Wang and Elaine Ma in grade 12, Ruthann Chiu,  Audrey Chan, Izza Cajuday, Sophie Cunningham, and Samantha Chan in grade 11, and Paula Herrera-Trujillo and Amy Shumka in grade 10. In addition, Sienna Loo, Aranatxa Nuñez, and Kamilyn Tai - all in grade 10, received verbal commendations. All award winners displayed an ability to liaise with others to form resolutions, outstanding and persistent involvement in committee debates, and clarity of voice. 

Not only did LFA students attend the conference, they toured the beautiful island of Oahu. In the days leading up to the conference, the LFA students hiked up the Diamond Head to experience breathtaking views of the island, experienced traditional Hawaiian music and dance at a Luau,  explored the culture and traditions of Hawaii and other islands at the Polynesian Cultural Centre, saw giant turtles swim at Turtle Bay and they enjoyed a refreshing beach swim in Waikiki!  They also participated in pre-conference activities organized by the Stevens’ Foundation along with delegates from other schools, including a private tour around Honolulu Zoo and a service activity at Paepae O’He’eia which was run by a non-profit organization dedicated to maintaining the ancient He’eia fishpond. The volunteering activities at Paepae O’He’eia were a great experience for the students to learn about Hawaii's ecosystem and native species. Students participated in quelling a jellyfish infestation, and they helped maintain the pond by removing invasive species that threaten the native wildlife while also helping move firewood which would be used to create a stove to cook meals for the less fortunate on Thanksgiving Day.

This experience is one that LFA students won’t soon forget. From the exciting new experiences to the collaboration and connection with delegates from around the world, PACMUN 2022 left a mark on every delegate. Everything that was learnt from this conference- the skills, knowledge, and confidence, will stay with the delegates long after their high school MUN experience. Good luck to all LFA delegates in their future conferences and endeavors and thank you so much to Mrs. Mills, our Model UN Club Co- Ordinator for putting all the pieces of this conference together and preparing us for the conference and to Senora Espinel and Mrs. Canil for being great chaperones! PACMUN 2022 is a cherished memory forever!

Written by: Amy Shumka '25, Chloe Cheng '25 and Paula Herrera '25
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