Welcome to Harvard Model Congress San Francisco 2012! We, Jasmine Omeke and Delaram Takyar, will be chairing the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, and we’re really looking forward to meeting all of you and discussing some very interesting and relevant topics! We are both excited about sharing our interest in government and our love for HMC with all of you. Jasmine is a sophomore in Kirkland House concentrating in Social Studies, and in addition to HMC, is a Food Literacy Representative. Delaram is a freshman planning on concentrating in Social Studies. She is a member of the Harvard Mock Trial Team and is also a junior staffer for HMC Boston and HMC San Francisco. She is greatly interested in constitutional law and hopes to attend law school after graduating from college. In her spare time, she enjoys painting, cooking and yoga.
The Committee on Environment and Public Works is one of the most important Senate committees, as climate change and environmental concerns are often the subjects of national debate. During this year’s conference we will be making some important decisions regarding global climate change and offshore wind farm development. Both of these issues present unique challenges, requiring a delicate balance between industry and sustainability. Therefore, both of these briefings will require a lot of deliberation and thorough discussion as we look at the various angles of the debates and take our partisan and regional interests into account.
I hope that all of you are as excited as we are to delve into these fascinating topics and experience government firsthand at HMC in San Francisco. The conference is an amazing opportunity to learn about current events, meet intelligent and passionate students from around the country, and develop an appreciation for the way that the American democracy works. The key to making the most of your time in San Francisco is really getting involved in discussion by taking risks, speaking up, and sharing your ideas. Having an understanding of the issues before the conference is great because it prepares you for making educated decisions and participating in high-level debate, but even more important is making sure that you ask questions during committee and Full Sessions and that you collaborate with your fellow delegates to form creative and viable solutions to these complex problems. Of course, the conference is also a fun experience in itself—the people you’ll meet are all looking forward to having a good time, and you’ll be able to spend your weekend in the great city of San Francisco!
We are so excited to meet all of you—the conference will be here before you know it! Please feel free to send us any questions that might come up between now and then. Other than that, get ready for a fabulous weekend, and good luck!
Cheers,