91福利社 Team Triumphs at Harvard Model UN鈥擣or the Third Year in a Row!
For the third consecutive year, the 91福利社 Model United Nations (LUMUN) team has secured a historic win at Harvard National Model UN (HNMUN), bringing home the Outstanding Delegation award鈥攐ne of the competition鈥檚 top honours.
This year鈥檚 victory was particularly special, with the delegation winning several individual awards as well.
From Underdogs to 'Outstanding Delegation'!
Head Delegate, Mahnoor Gul (BA English 鈥26) remembers her first time attending HNMUN as a freshman at 91福利社. 鈥淧eople didn鈥檛 see us as competition. They didn鈥檛 expect much from a team from Pakistan,鈥 she recalls. That changed when 91福利社 won Outstanding Delegation in 2023. "The next time we went, people knew who we were. They were training for us. They were prepared for our debating style."
By this year, the atmosphere was different. "There was a lot of love for us," she says. "We were no longer just participants鈥攚e were contenders."
A Rigorous Training Schedule
Despite being a relatively new contender at HNMUN compared to teams with decades of experience, the LUMUN delegation made the most of its limited resources. Returning team members鈥攚ho had competed at HNMUN before鈥攂rought valuable insights from past competitions. Their experiences shaped the team鈥檚 strategy, helping them identify what worked, what didn鈥檛, and how to refine their approach.
As LUMUN's first-ever female captain, Mahnoor felt additional responsibility. The team trained for the competition for six months, dedicating six hours a day to research, practice, and honing their strategy. "We would eat together and stay up late working. We knew each other鈥檚 sleep schedules, eating schedules, allergies, habits鈥攂ecause we had to. That鈥檚 what it takes," she says.
Rebuilding the Team in 36 Hours
The team faced an unexpected challenge just before departure: two members didn鈥檛 receive their US visas in time. They held emergency trials and interviews, selecting two replacement members who had just 36 hours to prepare. Two of the last-minute additions鈥擴maimah Sajid and Laiba Abid鈥攚ent on to win Diplomatic Commendations at the conference.
A Victory for Pakistan
"It was a lot of work, but we had a collective goal: we want to represent Pakistan on the global stage," shares Mahnoor.
