Alexandros and the Secretary-General program in 2016
For those of you wondering whether or not the MUN Institute is for you, yes it is! When I was looking through registration and the list of programs, I was completely intimidated. Since I knew I wanted to be a better delegate, I finally got the courage and I told my parents that I wanted to go. When I was registering, little did I know that I was applying for something that completely changed my life. Yes, it may sound a bit cliché but it’s a fact that I came back for every program Best Delegate offers in the high school level.
First, the MUN Institute taught me about confidence. When I first started in the Ambassador program, I could not give a speech without using a ‘filler’ word or two in each sentence. Looking back, I know that I did not have a lot of self-confidence at that time. With the support of my Diplomacy Fellow and my group, I became a confident speaker by applying their feedback. Eventually, the MUN Institute helped me find my ‘inner delegate’. The MUN Institute also taught me a very important skill: diplomacy. This has helped me negotiate better at conferences and lead groups with a large sum of delegates. These diplomacy skills have led me to winning awards at conferences.
Alexandros at the final simulation from the MUN Institute in 2015
Before attending the program, I did not expect that the MUN Institute would greatly improved my writing skills. Initially, I thought I was a pretty decent writer. After the Ambassador program, I had a better understanding of how to construct my position papers for conferences. I was able to use the research and writing skills I learned from the MUN Institute to write a position paper for National High School Model UN (NHSMUN) where I was a delegate for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Writing is essential in Model UN to prepare for conferences and to draft resolutions.
Last but definitely not least, I am very grateful for the long-lasting friendships that the MUN Institute has given me. I had the opportunity to meet fellow MUNners from all around the world in just one week! To this day, I continue to talk to alumni every week. We talk about all-things conference related such as what conferences their team is planning on attending but we also enjoy chatting about how our day is going. One of my favorite aspects of the MUN Institute alumni community is that there is always someone who can help in preparing for upcoming MUN conferences. I have definitely benefited from this many times since I have connected with alumni before conferences to ask for advice.
The MUN Institute has helped me and many other delegates around the world. The skills that students take away from the programs transcend beyond MUN. The MUN Institute helps individuals with research, negotiation, public speaking, conflict resolution, and more. Many alumni write about how they acquired these skill through MUN in their college applications and get accepted to prestigious colleges such as Harvard, Yale, and Oxford. If you want to learn important life skills and improve yourself as a delegate, come to the Model United Nations Institute and enjoy this life-changing experience!
