It takes talent and a strong work ethic to stand out amongst 1,500 peers.
When it comes to politics, Wilbraham & Monson Academy's Colin O'Brien '16 has plenty of both qualities.
At the closing ceremonies of the 31st session of Harvard Model Congress, held at the Sheraton Boston Hotel Feb. 18-21, Colin received an Award of Excellence, which included being honored with a gavel.
"When Colin received his assigned role as a Republican from Indiana, he was rather disappointed that he would have to role play the viewpoints of someone quite different from his own personal opinions," explained Ms. Gina Markowski, who heads WMA's Model Congress. "However, Colin didn't let this deter him from making the most of this simulation. He dove right in; researching everything he could to truly become his representative.
"At the conference, Colin went so far as to take the Bible out of his hotel room to use it in Committee as a visual aid to emphasize the views of his representative. He received accolades from his fellow Republican delegates and gained support for his legislation as a convincing orator."
Colin represented Luke Messer, a Republican from Indiana's 6th District, in the United States House of Representatives Financial Committee. He wrote legislation on Cuban-United States relations, cryptocurrency relations and vaccine injury compensation. He enjoyed the fast pace of the committee work, which included 28 hours in session during a four-day period.
"Things happened quickly," Colin said. "We talked about a different topic every day, wrote a whole bill each day, discussed it, and voted on it as a full house session every single day."
Colin did all of those things at a high level, so much so his committee voted him an outstanding delegate.
"It's good to be recognized," Colin said. "A lot of us put in a lot of work. We did this every day after school for 2-3 months and it's a good feeling to put all of that knowledge to work and work with others and be rewarded for the effort and collaboration."