By Joan F. Simoneau, Community Reporter
Marlborough – She has been to France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Morocco and spent many summers in Baalek, Lebanon as a young child. Ivana Awada was born and raised in Dearborn, Mich., but now calls Marlborough home where she lives with her mother, Yvonne Belcher, and attends Marlborough High School.
As she nears the end of her high school days, the young traveler is on a mission to share her international experiences by starting a United Nations Club at Marlborough High.
“I feel that my vast travels all over the world have made me feel that the world can appear to be a smaller, more closely knit place – one to be enjoyed,” she said. “This has inspired my desire for a Model U.N. Club at Marlborough High School. I feel it is necessary to bring in an aspect and sense of closeness and the wonderful powers of diplomacy we can see in our nations.”
Earlier this year, she went on a road trip with several cousins and her father, Jamal Awada, who was born in Baalek.
“We toured for two weeks, hitting about four countries, starting in Amsterdam…,” she recalled. “We spent over a week there and thought it was incredible. We visited Belgium and Luxembourg briefly and were able to take in the culture and explore a few main cities. Our last stop was France which is by far my favorite. I had visited France before but this time I truly got to experience and appreciate its beauty.”
The club will be designed with each student being assigned a country to study. There will be weekly meetings filled with activities mirroring the actions of the real United Nations.
“The meetings have not formally begun but there is a lot of interest,” said Awada. “Although it is my senior year, I hope this club will help future students carry it forward, pursue great endeavors, and possibly find themselves attending state and national conferences.”
She attributes her adventurous personality to her parents who inspired her passion for travel through the years.