Brussels & Beyond: WPGA at Harvard Model Congress Europe

Over Spring Break, a group of WPGA students travelled to Brussels, Belgium to take part in the Harvard Model Congress Europe (HMC), a prestigious international simulation of U.S. government and global diplomacy hosted by Harvard undergraduates. Our students joined more than 500 delegates from around the world to debate pressing issues, draft legislation, and collaborate on innovative policy solutions.

We are thrilled to share that our WPGA delegation was recognized multiple times during the closing ceremonies. A year ago, Sheree Li attended her first HMC in San Francisco. This year, she absolutely shone, earning an Honourable Mention Award for her outstanding committee work. But that wasn’t all: HMC has a long-standing tradition of inviting one delegate to speak at the closing ceremony. Out of hundreds of participants, Sheree’s speech was chosen. Her heartfelt remarks drew a standing ovation and kicked off a series of recognitions for WPGA.

Shortly after, Sohana Garg and Quinton Meng were announced as recipients of the Presidential Cabinet Award for excellence in writing, thanks to a co-authored submission that impressed conference organizers. The duo was recognized again for Best Team in the G20, standing out among dozens of international delegations.

Meanwhile, Joah Boland-Landa served on the HMC Media Team, reporting throughout the weekend. During the closing ceremony, delegates were treated to a recap video—filmed, edited, and narrated by Joah—which captured the spirit and highlights of the entire conference.

Equally inspiring were our first-time HMC participants, who demonstrated incredible courage, confidence, and collaboration throughout every debate and committee session.

Outside the conference halls, students had a chance to explore the cultural heart of Belgium and the Netherlands. Our travels included visits to the European Parliament, a chocolate museum, a French fry museum, and even a diamond museum. In the Netherlands, students paid moving visits to Camp Vught and the Anne Frank House, traveled the canals of Brugge and Amsterdam, and met up with WPGA alum Nicholas Donaldson, currently earning his Master’s at Leiden University in The Hague.

In a full-circle moment, Sheree’s older brother, Sean Li '18 (Mr. Korol and I once chaperoned Sean at HMC!) took the Eurostar from London to reunite with his sister. Now pursuing graduate studies in Philosophy in the UK, Sean’s visit was a touching reminder of the lifelong connections formed through global education.

Congratulations again to all of our delegates—your accomplishments, kindness, and curiosity made this trip unforgettable.