By J1 Reporter Elena Burt

Few people have participated in programs with two of the most prestigious universities in America, Harvard University and Princeton University. However, several Marian students and teachers have been to the Harvard Model Congress and the Princeton Model Congress.

The preparation for each trip has been different, for at the Harvard Model Congress, students had to prepare to play the roles of Senators or Congresspeople, and for the Princeton Model Congress, students had to prepare to represent a certain committee. 

English and Social Studies teacher Ms. Susie Sisson and senior Lilly Biggs have attended both trips and described the differences they found while preparing for each Model Congress. Biggs said that this year is very different from last year, because not only are they at two different locations, but because she has played a different role in each. Biggs described her new role at Princeton to be “in the Cabinet.” She says, “I’m researching the controversy of why there is a Department of Education to begin with, student loan forgiveness, parents rights, and banning books.” Excited about her position and task, she was relieved to have known what to expect this year because she had a familiar experience at Harvard last year. 

Sisson contrasts the preparation of the two trips by explaining how they did not have as much time for the Princeton Model Congress, which happened Nov. 16 – 19, and by explaining the different tasks the students were put to. She said that students at the Harvard Model Congress last spring had to prepare to role play a specific Senator or Congressperson by “research[ing] committee topics by reading the briefings Harvard students have written and prepared ahead of time, but they also have to research what their assigned person thinks about their topic.” However, at the Princeton Model Congress, she explains, “students represent their own points of view at the conference, so they’re encouraged to research committee topics… not limited to role playing a specific Senator or Congressperson.” 

Sisson enjoyed the location of Princeton a little bit more than Harvard because, she said, “Having the chance to write legislation and debate important topics in our nation’s capital is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” She and the students also appreciated exploring Washington, D.C.  Although Princeton’s campus is in New Jersey, the conference was held in Washington D.C.

Overall, the Harvard Model Congress in Cambridge, MA, and the Princeton Model Congress in Washington, D.C. were different because of the tasks students completed, the effect of the location, and the preparation duties that were fulfilled.