Whiz Kid: Jiani Xu

Whiz Kid’s name: Jiani Xu

Whiz Kid's Age:  17

Whiz Kid’s School: Pelham Memorial High School

Whiz Kid’s Accomplishment:

When Jiani Xu was recruited to the Model United Nations club in eighth grade, she was immediately hooked. The numerous honors she's garnered at conferences all over the country show just how committed she is.

Members participate in five competitions a year where they take on the role of a delegate--a country, politician, or political organization--and research and defend a hot-button issue they've been assigned. Honors are doled out to the top four representatives from each committee, with the gavel being the most coveted award.

Jiani has amassed numerous awards. She got an honorable mention at the Horace Mann School conference, a gavel at the Columbia University competition and a verbal mention at the Washington Area Model United Nation Conference (WAMUNC). This year, Jiani brought home another gavel from Brown University.

“Up until sophomore year, I would be a nervous wreck before these conferences," Jiani said. "It really is quite frightening to walk in a room when you know everyone else has done more research than you and are more experienced than you."

Whiz Kid's Key to Awesomeness:

Competing with Model U.N. has solidified, for Jiani, just how important it is to understand the key issues facing other countries.

“We just can’t be ignorant of what’s going on around us right now, especially with the prevalence of media and just everything available to us," Jiani said. "Why shouldn’t we feel encouraged to know and to find out what’s going on?”

When she's not winning gavels, Jiani keeps her schedule packed with other extra curricular activities at PMHS such as: Door Literary Magazine, Military History Club, Young Democrats, Student Government, the Anti-Genocide Coalition, and Sock ‘n Buskin drama club.