Born in Tehran, Iran, Francine Ghazarian is currently a junior at Glendale High School. She moved to Vienna, Austria when she was ten years old, and she lived there for three months before coming to the United States.
As a true Nitro, Francine is a part of the symphonic orchestra, the GHS tennis team, and her class council. Outside of school, Francine enjoys playing her cello, making jewelry, reading, journaling, and crocheting.
Francine decided to start the Model UN Club after she heard about it in the classic Netflix movie To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before. She thought it was a cool idea, and after doing some research, she decided to introduce the club to GHS.
The purpose of the Model UN Club is to recreate what happens during the United Nations conferences. It teaches its members about different countries and their positions on certain global issues. Currently, the club is working on the topic of child labor.
During club meetings, the members discuss different matters and help each other prepare, by conducting research on the topic and their assigned country. Conferences are set to happen outside of school, since 30 minutes of lunch time is not enough to achieve the depth of discussion necessary for UN meetings.
One of Francine’s main goals for the club this year is to recruit more people. She believes many people are too shy or afraid to join because “they think they won’t know what to do.” However, club advisor Mr. Whithorne and Francine are there to help all Model UN members prepare, so “no one should be worried.” Francine thinks more people should join, because not only does it look good on college applications, but you get to learn “about things you wouldn’t normally think about”, like global issues and different countries’ positions on them.
Francine expresses that one of the biggest challenges the club has faced this year is a lack of time. Lunch meetings are too short to get almost anything done. However, Francine and her cabinet are constantly working to adjust the club’s schedule and make it as efficient as possible.
After high school, Francine would really like to publish a novel, because writing is one of her many passions.
Model UN Club meetings happen every Wednesday in Mr. Whithorne’s Room 4315. If you are interested in joining the club, text the Remind code @mungh22 to 81010, or you can contact Mr. Whithorne at [email protected]!
Don’t be shy and put yourselves out there, Nitros!
