“Delegate of the United States, you’ve been recognized.”
The United Nations, an organization that aims to maintain world peace and prevent international conflicts, was founded shortly after World War II, after the League of Nations failed to serve its initial purpose. Following that transition, Model League of Nations transitioned to Model United Nations to match the state of international diplomacy. Model UN is a student-led organization that models the diplomatic structure of the actual UN. Students are able to learn essential life skills such as public speaking, negotiation, leadership, and communication skills. Model UN was initially started by college students at Oxford University in 1921, although it has since expanded to include conferences for high school and even middle school students.
Last month, I, along with the rest of the Prosper High School Model UN team got the opportunity to attend Rice MUN, an annual Model UN conference hosted at the state level at Rice University in Houston. With over 300 students attending from 15–20 different schools, it was amazing to see, and meet so many people from all across Texas. There were multiple committees at the conference such as ECOFIN (economics and finance), SPECPOL (special political), WHO (World Health Organization), and Crisis Committee (immediate international conflicts). My team members and I spent three days engaged in debating, writing drafts, and presenting resolutions. Rice MUN was the first time I participated in a Crisis Committee, the fast-paced style of debate, and the push to make immediate decisions – much like the actual UN during times of world conflict – was something I had never seen in Model UN before.
I was initially intimidated by the number of people in my conference room and their confidence in approaching each topic presented. However, after getting to know the other students better and sharing my ideas, we were able to collaborate in creating various unique solutions. Still, as I was watching the other delegates, it felt like I wasn’t contributing or saying enough. When the awards ceremony came, I didn’t have much expectations for anything. I was even somewhat distracted by what we were having for lunch after, or my AP Chemistry assignments that were due the following week. I was happy with the experience I gained, the people I met, and was looking forward to the next competition already. When my name was called, I didn’t even register it until my teammates started clapping. I had gotten recognized as one of the top delegates out of the 60 other people in my committee. Although it wasn’t ‘best delegate,’ I was still surprised.
As I move forward and compete in more Model UN competitions in the future, I know that maintaining confidence in my ideas and opinions is key to standing out – and even winning.
