This semester, I had the amazing opportunity to represent China in a simulation of the Security Council at the Model United Nations conference in Rome (MUN Rome)! While it was exciting, it came with its share of challenges.

My delegation partner and I prepared for the conference by writing a position paper regarding the Yemen political and humanitarian crisis and the tensions in the Kashmir region. However, during the conference, we faced a fictional topic, of violent mass protects in the Kivu region of Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The Council eventually made the decision to amend the agenda and focus on this situation. Since this was not a real event and we were not equipped to discuss this, we had to find a great deal of information in a small amount of time. I volunteered to research facts and UN resolutions with other delegates so we could develop a basis for our working paper. Through this process, I utilized my research skills by diligently finding information in just a span of half an hour. Working in a time crunch not only further developed my research techniques, but also my ability to remain calm. If we as a Council did not remain level headed, it may have been impossible to complete the working paper and move on to the next steps. Luckily, we managed to complete the working paper, edit it into a draft resolution, and vote on it!

Despite the difficulties, I’m glad I participated because I was tested in ways I never expected. Our hard work as Pace University delegates paid off; we won a Diplomacy Award! I’m proud of what we accomplished in a couple days. My experience in the Model UN class and conference has been fantastic and I hope to face new challenges again soon!

– Selini Drakos ‘20