Long Island students tackle global issues at Lee Marcus Model United Nations Invitational

Juliette Burke stood tall Saturday morning as she addressed a classroom full of fellow Sewanhaka Central High School District students. 

“Members of the chair and fellow delegates,” Burke, 14, began, scanning the room. This was the opening salvo of the annual Lee Marcus Model United Nations Invitational, and Burke, representing Switzerland, had been tasked with presenting a directive meant to improve women’s rights in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

Burke, an H. Frank Carey High School ninth-grader dressed in a red blazer, was one of the younger delegates in the room. But when her multipronged directive, “Project Barbie Land,” inspired by the hit 2023 film “Barbie,” went to a vote, it passed virtually unanimously.

Model U.N., where students work to improve their assigned nation’s standing through introducing directives and collaborating with peers, has a rich history in the Sewanhaka district. Perhaps no one has had more influence on the district’s program than Lee Marcus, a former social studies teacher and Model U.N. pioneer at Elmont Memorial High School.

Marcus, 84, was honored during the opening ceremony at Saturday's invitational at Carey in Franklin Square.

“This was one of the most special days of my life,” he said. “I’m in awe of what these young people are able to do.”

After the ceremony, students from five high schools — Sewanhaka, New Hyde Park Memorial, Floral Park Memorial, Elmont and Carey — broke into five committees: the World Health Organization; the Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Committee; the Disarmament & International Security Committee; the Human Rights Council; and the Security Council, where Burke presented “Project Barbie Land.”

There were about 250 students representing various countries across the five committees, with another 35 students acting in administrative roles.

“My family, we’re very opinionated individuals, and I really love focusing on women’s rights,” Burke said.

Olivia Yee, 17, a senior at Floral Park, took a similar path to Model U.N. Both her parents are attorneys and encouraged her to be cognizant of world events.

Yee had a lisp growing up, she said, and was uncomfortable speaking publicly. Model U.N. helped bring her “out of her shell,” she said.

“I’ve learned public speaking skills, which I’ve used not only in debate but also in the classroom,” Yee said. “I was a varsity cheerleader, and I was captain of both varsity and JV. I feel like part of that is because I have a good way with speaking with people.”

Two of Marcus' former Model U.N. students, Darnell Marescot and Chukwudi N. Kanu, both 27, congratulated him after the ceremony honoring him. They crouched to meet Marcus, who sits in a wheelchair, at eye level.

“Gentlemen, I love you. You made my day,” Marcus told them.

Kanu, a first-generation Nigerian American, said he was a shy kid before he joined Model U.N. in elementary school. Marcus helped him discover his voice, he said.

“MUN gave me the confidence to be who I am now,” said Kanu, now a program manager at Plug and Play Tech Center. “It gave me the foundation for a lot in life. I’m super passionate about different cultures.”