In a room filled to the brim with more than 80 students, some sitting, others standing, laughing with her fellow Model United Nations members is where you can often find Eleanor Leoper-Viti. A tall, teenage girl who immediately stands out of the crowd not for her stature, but for her commanding presence and keen, confident demeanor.
Last spring, Tower Hill’s Model UN started searching for its new president. After a thorough application process reviewed by the club’s faculty advisors, Dr. Norris Sokolsky and Mr. Brown, Eleanor Loeper-Viti was selected. Stepping into her new role, Eleanor has already made significant changes ranging from greater organization within the club, to introduction to Model UN for new members. “I had a really fun time last year, however there were a few things that I really thought that could be improved with the leadership. I think that the club lacked a lot of structure that I would have appreciated more.”
While many would have wanted to spare their predecessors the embarrassment of criticism and tacked on a ‘no offense to them,’ Eleanor doesn’t pull her punches. “No, full offense to them,” she says, leaning back in her chair.
“I actually started [with] Model UN last year; I joined because I heard people talking about how fun the travel conferences were,” she said. “So I joined it based off of pretty limited information, but I’m super glad it worked out because, obviously I am really enjoying being in this club.” After living abroad in Poland, Eleanor transferred to Tower Hill in her junior year and had to orient herself to a completely new environment.
Though, her inexperience with Model UN and the hardships of being a new student certainly did not dissuade her in the slightest and she quickly became deeply involved with Model UN. “She was definitely one of our most enthusiastic participants and clearly you could already see signs of a strong leader early on,” said Dr. Norris Sokolsky who has been the sponsor of Model UN clubs for 5 years.
Building off her experience from the last year, Eleanor has created an ambitious calendar early in the year for the club including weekly meetings, an in-house practice conference, hosting a conference, and preparing for international competition. “I think starting members off with at least some knowledge was really important to me and something I really wanted to change,” she said.
Not only does Eleanor bring incredible enthusiasm and dedication to her leadership; she also brings a diplomat’s perspective. Eleanor’s mother, Tisha Loeper-Viti, is a Foreign Service Officer in the U.S. Department of State, and her mother’s career has seen her family live abroad and move multiple times. “It does make me a little more aware of some current issues that are going on and my mom and I will talk about stuff like that,” she said. While Eleanor doesn’t credit her mother’s career with influencing her choice to join Model UN, she does acknowledge the benefits she has from these experiences.
“One thing that my mom and I had talked about was that we were waiting quite a while to sign up for [conferences]” she said. Model UN registration fees and the necessary train tickets can get quite expensive and the longer you delay the more expensive they get. Covering these expenses is another goal of Eleanor’s for the upcoming year along with greater organization within Model UN, and introduction to the world of Model UN.
“A lot of [registrations] had to do with [the] cost. I remember hearing that the past leaders were a little hesitant to ask for more money, that’s something that… [I am] going to be working on a lot just to be making sure that the club is more equitable overall” Eleanor said.
Ambitious, confident, and considerate, Eleanor Loeper-Viti is building off her own experiences to bring radical change and progress to Tower Hill’s Model UN.