Hello Everyone, I am Adwaidh Krishna Renjith and I am one of the Vice Presidents of Education in the JRAD Team. I am 14 years old and will be attending J.R Tucker High School as a freshman this fall. Still taken aback from the wonderful experience I had at JRAD Camp 2026, (Even if Aditi didn’t recognize me at first, I mean people can change alright!) I can’t wait to continue working in JRAD’s future endeavors. With the introduction of the JRAD Scholars Program and the dazzling success of the camp with over 100 sign ups, and even myself being able to instruct the Intermediate group, I can’t wait to return over the fall.

My experience with JRAD started at JRAD 2025 Summer Camp, which was being completely honest the best summer camp I’ve been to. Unlike others, where they bore you with countless lectures, I learned practical public speaking skills, and implemented it in a variety of areas, whether that be Model UN, Debate, or any other collaborative efforts. With the quality of instructors last year, I can only  hope that I managed to pass on what I learned into the grades below me that I instructed this year.

As a quick recap of this summer’s events: The JRAD 2026 Summer Camp was extraordinary, providing students an opportunity to learn and test out their acquired skills in the Friday Mock Conference. Being an instructor for the Intermediate group was a wonderful experience, teaching the attendees about parliamentary procedure, committee tips, battle strategies, and how to stand out in a room where everyone is trying to do the same. Activities included Socratic Seminars about the First World War, where students debated the ethical implications of the war on the Russian Empire, and studied and prepped, using knowledge gained from lectures, and demos to prepare for a variety of mock conferences, such as the UNSC on Blood Diamonds, Liberation of South America, COP 30, and the 4/5th Passion Projects. As an instructor, I may have been rather talkative at some times, going on and on about WW1 during the seminar, and explaining detailed plans and ways to use private directives, but I truly hope all of the delegates had fun, (especially in our committees, and especially Funmun!) Although the kids could be well, a handful at times, the spark they have to learn and improve is truly wonderful, and I know the camp provided more skills to add to their toolbox.

One of the standout programs JRAD offers is our Travel Team. In this program, our instructors take kids—some of whom have never even set foot into a higher level conference—to college level conferences, where they end up leaving with first places and gavels. If you’re interested in taking your MUN game to the next level, I highly recommend applying for our travel team, regardless of how much MUN experience you possess. You miss every shot you don’t take. 

JRAD is expanding faster than ever, with new programs like the JRAD Scholars, the finale of the amazing summer camp, and possible clinics and partnerships with other institutions. I can’t wait for the journey ahead of us, and hope you can join us too. 

If you are interested in public speaking, Model UN, Debate, or Leaderships consider joining JRAD to sharpen your abilities that could help in the academic field, as well as day to day life with a huge boost of confidence. 

Please check out our Instagram, (@jr_diplomacy1) run by our fabulous Outreach team (shoutout Saanvi and Abeer). Donations are greatly appreciated, and all revenue goes to ensuring that our nonprofit can continue to make an impact throughout the James River Area.

Thank you!