In this essay, please reflect on something you would like us to know about you that we might not learn from the rest of your application, or on something about which you would like to say more. You may write about anything—from personal experiences or interests to intellectual pursuits. (500 word limit)
Last spring, my IB history teacher coolly expressed his view in class that Model United Nations is a “boys club where teenagers with big egos play dress up.”
Well, that stings.
I had recently been appointed Secretary-General of Paris Model United Nations (PAMUN) XIII and was contemplating the hundreds of hours of work I would lead over the next nine months. It precipitated a resolute but somewhat defensive retort in front of the class that MUN solidifies our roles as global citizens, demonstrates how peaceful and effective debate can affect change and hones important skills.
And by the way, half of the club executives are girls.
The exchange stayed with me. And as I drafted my conference welcome letter, organized the executive staff, and deliberated conference objectives and procedures, I consistently returned to this scene and thought “what does MUN mean to me and what can PAMUN XIII mean to its 1,000 participants?”
For over 6 years, MUN has been a colorful thread throughout my life. I’m honored to have been appointed President of the General Assembly for The Hague International Model United Nations (THIMUN) XLVI, the top position at the largest MUN conference in the world. I take every mentoring opportunity to convey that the skills we hone are meaningful but the lessons are invaluable. Understanding the critical role culture plays to perspective, the importance of balance (mediation with facilitation, decisiveness with flexibility, seriousness with reasonableness), and the tenants of leadership (energy, encouragement, respect, discipline) is profound.
MUN means to me countless late night discussions with my older brother about corporate responsibility and teaching moments with my younger siblings about poverty. It means a heart to heart with my dad in tenth grade about a committee I chaired in Munich in which every delegate was seventeen or eighteen and I was forced to overcome my fear and diffuse a hearty “motion to dismiss the chair!” And MUN embodies for me the quote often attributed to L.P. Jacks,
A master in the art of living draws no sharp distinction between his work and his play ...his education and his recreation...
So, whatever brings delegates to Paris for PAMUN XIII, I hope they are excited about our theme Achieving Global Equality. I believe its implications are obvious to the myriad minorities around the world, but also at the crux of any ‘Grand Strategy’ designed to ameliorate conflict. In my conference opening speech, I’ll recognize that we don’t all aspire to become politicians or diplomats. But as doctors, teachers, and business leaders, I hope this remarkable experience will inspire them to contribute to the multidisciplinary solutions we desperately need in our interconnected world. I hope the delegates, coming from around the globe, enjoy getting to know one another, engage, adapt, improvise, and immerse themselves in our theme. I hope they fall in love with the spectacular UNESCO headquarters and, yes, feel empowered in their formal attire.
And tomorrow I’ll thank Mr. Semaan for challenging me, which was likely his intention all along.