What is Model Congress?

   Recently, Hauppauge High School added its first Model Congress club that allows Hauppauge students to learn more deeply about the legislative process. This newly added club gives students an opportunity outside of the classroom to learn about what goes into a bill getting passed. In addition, this means that students get to role-play as if they are a real member of Congress and get better at their public speaking skills. The most appealing part of this club is that various universities host events for the club at schools all over the country throughout the year. A few of these include Harvard, Yale, UPenn, and Princeton, which Hauppauge most recently attended.

Hearing from Alabama’s Congresswoman- Terri Sewell

     Every year, Princeton Model Congress has a guest speaker at the opening ceremony, and this year it was talented Congresswoman Terri Sewell. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and one of the aspects that made it so extraordinary was having the chance to hear from Congresswoman Sewell. While there are many politicians who would take it as a chance to just speak to us about their campaign, Sewell chose to take a different route, where she talked about how she got to where she is today. She started off her career as a young African American woman who was valedictorian of her high school. Leading to her getting accepted into Princeton first, and even Harvard and Oxford later on. One of the aspects of the speech she gave was to never give up and to continue being determined. Throughout her speech, she repeated her mantra of “spreading the seed of service”. Meaning that people need to take their personal experiences and use them as a way to help others. Lastly, one of Hauppauge’s own students, Rashmi Mahesh, was chosen to ask the congresswomen a question. She asked, “How did you get to be where you are now? What was your academic history, and who was your inspiration? Sewell responded by talking about her time in high school and becoming the first African American valedictorian of her high school. Then she went on to talk about her time spent at prestigious universities like Princeton, Harvard, and Oxford, and how the people who supported her through all this were her parents. Therefore, it was not only about learning about legislation, but making connections for the future and hearing from an inspirational speaker, too.

Students Overall Experience

“It was an experience I’m glad I got, I got to make new friends and get closer with the ones I have now. I was able to experience a different kind of lifestyle that I enjoyed. I would do it all again in a heartbeat.”

 -Rashmi Mahesh

“DC was such an amazing time. With made new friends at Princeton Model Congress, learning new things that I didn’t know before, and spent time with my friends exploring the city. The Conference truly gave me a new perspective on many topics, and it was also nice to hear all the high schoolers’ ideas and opinions. I can’t wait to go again, and more people, please join our club!” 

 -Esther Kim

“D.C. was one of the best trips I’ve ever had. It was truly an amazing experience, and I had the best time. I got to meet so many new people from all over the country and got to learn so many new things. It was nice to hear all the different opinions and debates from everyone, and I am so excited to go to the next conference!”

-Vaibhavi Hegde

Monumental Moments 

     The Hauppauge Model Congress had the opportunity to visit national monuments like Washington and Lincoln, and even visit the Holocaust and African American museums during their time in D.C. for the conference. As someone who got to be a part of this trip, I can say that one of my favorite parts was exploring the city with my peers. We had the opportunity to get a tour of the Capitol and see where history was made. I learned so much on this trip, and it wasn’t just limited to learning about legislation. More importantly, as someone who’s never been to D.C., it was mesmerizing to be taken in by all the historic buildings. Overall, however, all the fun wasn’t just outside of the conference rooms because I got to talk to people from places all around the nation that I probably never would’ve even met. Yes, being in the conference room and hearing from all the people and their opinions can be intimidating when they are all overly confident, but you also find that you learn from them to have that confidence yourself. I’ll admit, before we went, many of us didn’t know what we were getting into, but now, having been there for days and getting to understand how it works now Hauppauge Model Congress knows what to expect. Meaning that next year, members who participate will be better prepared and know what to expect. Also, even going into it not knowing what to expect with a decent bill that ended up passing, I got the chance to learn how I can improve and take the criticism in stride instead of getting hurt by it. Reminding yourself that this is new and a way to challenge yourself is why you should join this club. 

Why you should join

     Now, after already having the opportunity to attend one Model Congress hosted by Princeton Hauppauge hopes to attend different conferences held by different prestigious universities. This club also gets students out of their comfort zone and helps them stand out amongst their peers. This is something important to consider when applying to colleges. This could be a club that persuades them to accept you into the school. Furthermore, the club teaches you skills that you’ll need in the future, no matter what profession you choose. Public speaking, research, and writing skills are all talents that will only help as you continue your education.