How Model UN Shaped My Voice

I love Model United Nations (MUN)! It’s been a huge deal for me because it completely changed how well I speak in public. I cared about it so much that I even started one of the first school MUNs back in Nepal! I saw it as the best way for me to learn things from other students. The way MUN is set up, with strict rules and timing, really helped me learn about diplomacy and quick thinking. It forced me to use my critical skills – and quickly!

For those unfamiliar with MUNs, it is an educational simulation in which students step into the shoes of delegates from different countries to debate, negotiate and develop resolutions for global issues. Typically, we tackle real-world topics like climate change or humanitarian crises and we spend weeks preparing arguments based on the actual policies of our assigned country.

The Cornell MUN conference we attended was organized by Cornell University and highly innovative. Instead of talking about real United Nations matters, we dealt with imaginary places, specifically Barbieland and the Hype House. This was different and fun because it completely pushed me outside the normal rules of diplomacy. We had to invent policies, constitutions and diplomatic strategies for these fictional nations, which was a fantastic exercise in creative problem-solving and adaptable negotiation that went far beyond conventional geopolitical constraints.

From this experience, I was able to:

• Learn from my fellow delegates.
• Practice reacting to surprise problems.
• Work with other leaders to find good, lasting answers for our “people.”
• And importantly, I learned to use my creative side while staying focused.

The best part of the whole experience was the time we spent together after the sessions. We would go out to eat and enjoy the friendships we had made. Listening to everyone talk about their lives and different experiences was the most inspiring thing of all.