My first experience attending the National Model UN conference in New York City can be best described as having sailed a giant tidal wave with my professor’s lessons as the sails and my delegation partner as shipmate.

Heading to the first day’s committee session, I was very confident in my abilities to manage the stresses of the simulation, fully aware of what to expect in the days to come. The first day was an exhilarating experience for me as I found myself leaping around my committee as eager as a puppy going to a doggy park and meeting the other dogs. My partner and I advertised our proposals to several delegations, managing to be a part of a large working paper with our topic proposals positioned as pillars of the group’s resolution.

We worked with more than twenty delegations in creating a draft resolution that, in my opinion, was one of the most comprehensive and ambitious of the committee. The majority of the delegations were poised and welcoming to me and my partner, supporting us whenever we needed help in writing the working paper drafts or simply creating a correspondence with another delegation.

The long hours definitely took its toll my energy levels as I often came back home exhausted but also enthusiastic for what was to come for the next day’s session. The last day was definitely the most nail-biting moment, as my partner and I found ourselves in a mad dash to finish the working paper draft for the committee’s approval. The end result was a success for we managed passed our draft resolution with a majority vote.

I would not have been able to manage the week without the crucial lessons taught to me by Professor Bolton and the head delegates, as well as the support from my delegation partner, Katherine Ketterer ’21 (read her reflections here).  I thank the Model UN program for making this experience fun and educational.

— Nicolas Iniguez ’20