Note: MFS Wordsworth welcomes and encourages Letters to the Editor. Letters to the Editor are publications that entirely reflect the opinion of the author, not necessarily the views of the MFS WordsWorth staff.

 

Model UN is an incredibly important and meaningful extracurricular activity for me. I’ve been doing it in one form or another since seventh grade. It has improved my public speaking skills, deepened my interest in international affairs, and helped me make friends with other MUNners from all four Upper School grades.

From January 26 to 29, we took a delegation of 40 kids (the most I’ve ever brought) to the four-day Ivy League Model United Nations Conference (ILMUNC) hosted by the University of Pennsylvania. We were with more than 2,000 other students (the biggest conference I’ve ever attended).

I was also in the largest and most competitive “committee” that I’ve ever been in. Thankfully, I had a great partner. Haila and I enjoyed ourselves immensely, even on Friday when things weren’t going our way. That evening, we commiserated over milkshakes, knew that we still had a full day ahead of us to turn things around, and, most importantly, realized that we were still having fun. In the end, we won a “Verbal Commendation,” which I was very happy with, considering the difficulty of our committee.

However, awards are not the only part of Model UN. MUN delegates hear the saying that “awards don’t matter” repeated at least once a month for good reason — awards truly do not matter. A chair’s arbitrary and highly subjective decisions on the distinction between “best,” “honorable,” “outstanding,” and no award don’t reflect a delegate’s true talents and abilities. At ILMUNC, even though we were experienced delegates, Haila and I were simply outmatched by the top delegates from the most prestigious Model UN programs in the nation. Through acceptance of this fact and a determination to still put in my full effort and have fun, we persisted through our committee knowing that we would not win “Best Delegate” but still had an amazing opportunity to develop our MUN skills at the highest level. I did not win an award until twelfth grade. Our delegation’s stellar performances at conferences of all sizes and levels of difficulty reflect our commitment to enjoying all that MUN offers without inordinate stress over gavels and certificates that, at the end of the day, merely gather dust quietly in the hallway display case or in some corner of our bedrooms.

In addition to my role as a delegate, I also serve as the co-Secretary General of the MUN program. That means I was one of the heads of our team of seven student officers of the program. The conference presented a lot of challenges for me in this role, both MUN and non-MUN in nature; however, I got through these challenges through listening to the advice of and benefitting from friendships with the other officers.

As Mr. Thomson, who has been advising the program for well over a decade, wrote in his touching note to the parents, we are a cohesive team of student leaders that deeply cares about the program. I am genuinely grateful to have worked with them last weekend.

I am also grateful for all of our 40 incredibly hard-working delegates. A lot of them spent their time in giant ballrooms that even I found to be slightly intimidating. Still, they did not let the physical challenges of the conference get them down.

Whether it was the endless elevator waits; the technical issues; or even, at one point, a rat named “Riley” running through one of the committees, our delegates never gave up their efforts. I certainly would never have been able to win an award in a large General Assembly when I was in ninth and tenth grade, and I hope that they realize that by showing up and fully dedicating themselves to the work and fun of being a MUNner, they have already surpassed my wildest expectations.

Finally, I have reflected a good deal over the power of community in MFS’ MUN program. Our close bonds have occasionally been a source of amusement for non-MUN students — we have variously been called “try-hards,” “nerds,” and even a “cult.” However, this reputation thankfully hasn’t dissuaded people from joining our program. We are one of the largest teams at MFS. We all make an effort to welcome new members into the program. MUN allows us to form meaningful connections with people who we would otherwise never interact with on a regular basis.

So, the program continues. Since January’s conference, we’ve attended another smaller conference at the end of February, where we enjoyed our experience and did exceedingly well as a delegation. I am confident that future MUN leaders will find as much enjoyment in and benefit from the program as I have throughout my four years at MFS, and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to pursue this activity both as a delegate and as a leader.