Pace University New York City Model United Nations head delegate Kimberly Alonso ’13, on the campus of the UN University for Peace at their 2013 Model UN conference in Costa Rica.
The Pace University New York City Model United Nations program has always inspired me to challenge myself and to learn about the world from a different perspective. At the 2013 University for Peace Model United Nations Conference I decided to adopt a new challenge. Instead of participating as a delegate for my fourth time, I chose to attend as a journalist playing the role of representing the Huffington Post.
I had never competed as a journalist in any conference, but as a communications major, I wanted to explore a role that related to my passion of media and its role in international relations. With mixed feelings of nervousness and excitement, I began my first day of conference with a slow start. Instead of passionately debating my country’s policy, I walked around committees and watched others debate. While committees set their agenda topics, I was free to create my own.
This new role was confusing, yet I quickly began to enjoy the power to report whatever the Huffington Post wanted. By the second day of conference, I found myself devoted to reporting as many updates as possible about the crisis simulation. Throughout the day, I was leading press conferences in the Security Council and challenging delegates in the Economic and Social Council to answer tough questions about the crisis.
On the final day of conference, I was comfortable in my new role and sad to see the experience come to an end. Prior to this conference, I have always stressed the importance of media in international relations. As a journalist at the UPeace conference, I certainly learned the power the media can have in international politics. As a member of the Pace Model UN team, I continue to tackle every challenge with excitement and an open mind.
To read more about Pace University’s participation in the UPeace conference, click here. For more about the role of media and civil society representatives in the UPeace conference, click here. To read Kimberley’s reporting from the UPeace conference, click here.
– Kimberly Alonso ’13, Pace University New York City Model UN head delegate.