When I stepped foot on Ioma University’s campus in my freshman year, I had no idea what Model UN was, and I’m not even sure how I got interested in it. I think I just signed up for it at the fall involvement fair because it sounded like an interesting extracurricular that might be fun. Now, I’m going into my senior year where I will be one of the co-presidents of Iona’s Model UN team which just won Distinguished Delegation at the New York National Conference, and I’m looking back on the impact that being a part of Model UN has had on me.
To many people Model UN may seem boring, just taking a week to go and live-action roleplay a random country with other people, but Model UN has a lot more to it. One major impact that Model UN has had is the skills I’ve learned through the organization. A lot of Model UN is about giving speeches and talking to people, so I’ve noticed that through this I have become more confident in my public speaking, and I’ve learned how to network and connect with other people. I’ve managed to become a very outspoken member of the groups I’m working with at conferences, growing my leadership skills as well.
Another thing that I’ve found with Model UN is a stronger interest in global issues, international relations, and how problems get solved on an international scale. I’ve learned more about all the issues faced by places all over the world, even those that are not talked about as much. The research that I’ve done to prepare for conferences has encouraged me to look into environmental, social, and human rights issues, and gave me an interest in issues in the world beyond conferences.
The final, and probably biggest, reason why Model UN is important to me is the people I’ve met. I’ve made great friends through Iona’s Model UN team over the years, and I’ve met people and made friends from all over the world at conferences.
During conferences, I’ve had the opportunity to talk to people from different schools, some as close as New York, others as far as Germany or Ecuador. I’ve even kept in touch with some of the people I’ve met through Model UN. It’s been an amazing opportunity to meet people from so many different backgrounds. The spirit of Model UN is collaboration, and I’ve been so lucky to work with the people I have gotten to work with over the years.
The experiences that I’ve had with Model UN are amazing. I’ve been able to travel to Washington D.C. and Boston, and I’ve been able to develop some important skills and I’ve met so many amazing people. It’s so interesting to think that all these experiences happened because I took a chance on a new interest, something that has made a huge impact on me. As I go into my final year with Model UN as a Co-President, I hope that I can help other people to love Model UN as much as I have and be impacted by it in the same way.
