Model UN Program Builds Skills and Provides Leadership Training

• Government and Public Sector
Consultant, Deloitte Consulting LLP
• M.S. Marketing and B.A.
Political Science and
Business Administration,
American University

I believe my Model UN experience allowed me to learn from others who had diverse opinions and perspectives, outside of what I was thinking about at MFS, which was of great help when acclimating to college. I am grateful the Model UN program began when I was a student, and a lot of credit goes to (former History Teacher) Joel Hager for leading the program during the early days and to (current History Teacher) Clark Thomson who helped take it to the next level. The best teachers are the ones who inspire students to expand their horizons, think critically, and help shape and improve the world around them. Model UN was a space where those lessons were taught and applied regularly, and I am proud to have taken part in the program and help establish it as a lasting space for students interested in national or geopolitics.

Model UN provided me a forum to begin practicing important skills relevant to my current workplace environment, including communication, collaboration, and networking. When going to conferences and participating in mock scenarios where you are trying to build alliances and establish trust between students representing nations with differing interests, it is critical to
communicate your opinion effectively, collaborate with others and compromise when possible, and network with your peers outside of “work” settings to build more authentic relationships and find common interests which can be leveraged both professionally and personally. These are skills I apply and practice frequently in the workplace, and when engaging with clients or working in a project team setting.

• Syracuse University Class of 2024,
studying Computer Science

Model UN gave me a lot of confidence and allowed me to put myself out there in a way that felt familiar to me. In addition to Model UN, I was a Mock Primary Election candidate my senior year. I don’t think I would have been comfortable speaking in front of the student body if it weren’t for Model UN. While I no longer compete in Model UN, it has allowed me to grow into a person that can confidently communicate and have a wealth of knowledge on global issues I wouldn’t have known otherwise.

Model UN at MFS improved my public speaking, critical thinking, and problem solving. As a graduating computer science student, I am no longer solving political issues in a weekend, but I tackle problems the same way I did years ago. Model UN has allowed me to become a better public speaker and taught me how to work with others even when I don’t know them well.

• Haverford College Class of 2026,
studying English and Religion

Model UN was the place where I grew from a shy Middle School student who hated public speaking to a confident young adult who enjoyed speaking in front of hundreds of people. The transformation did not happen at once but was a product of the deep mentor relationships that Model UN built. As a ninth grader, I worked with a senior who had done Model UN throughout high school and taught me how to assert myself, even when I felt scared. As I continued through the program, I continued to learn from my mentors as well as become a mentor for younger students, many of whom I still have relationships with. Model UN is one of the fondest memories I have from Upper School and is a testament to the strong community MFS fosters.

• University of Chicago Law School
J.D. Candidate, Class of 2024
• M.Phil. University of Cambridge
in International Relations and
Politics
• B.A. University of Pennsylvania in
Political Science and History

Model UN was a fantastic leadership opportunity to work with my fellow students to design policy documents and articulate them before our peers. Model UN helped inspire me to study diplomatic history and political science in college as well as pursue a master’s degree in International Relations and Politics. Even today, in law school, my passion for government policy, perhaps unsurprisingly, can be traced back to those days in high school.

I would point to three discrete skills that I garnered from Model UN which not only galvanized my academic and professional interests but helped guide me in my professional and academic journey – leadership, public speaking, and international policy awareness. Model UN encourages students to be leaders in the best sense possible. Leadership within a collaborative work environment means delivering a vision, but also mastery of compromise. I don’t think that I am alone in finding those skills to be useful in any common endeavor. To communicate that vision and effect that compromise requires public speaking and engagement, the second of the skills that Model UN helped develop. Today, as an (almost) lawyer, I can clearly point to my days at conferences as some of the first when I was confronted with the challenge and the reward of public speaking. Finally, Model UN taught me how truly crucial it is to remain engaged with world events. The concerning geopolitics of today are testament to the importance of remaining engaged and always striving to learn more about the world around us.

• University of Pennsylvania Class of
2025, studying Bioengineering and
Chemistry

Model UN was a continual learning experience in leadership, teamwork, and organization which shaped me into a leader. Organizing a virtual conference on the scale of QMUNC in my senior year at MFS – which required coordinating several schools across different countries and creating multiple unique committees – was a formative and memorable experience that taught me how to effectively communicate and delegate. I’ve been able to successfully run clubs and committees to organize events at Penn because experiences like QMUNC gave me the ability to lead. In my bioengineering courses, I often collaborate in a lab group on everything from circuits to code to lab reports; having participated in Model UN, I was able to draw on that experience to be a team member who is able to articulate myself, while also being able to make space for others and their opinions.

Model UN also let me grow into an independent thinker. I’ve encountered people from so many different backgrounds and have been exposed to different perspectives throughout my time in college, and Model UN played a huge role in teaching me how to respectfully discuss current events and form my own opinions.

Model UN was fast-paced and forced me to think on my feet, but that was extremely valuable to me as I now am able to articulate myself and my ideas in a clear and concise manner. At Penn, I’ve had to give presentations for classes, explain concepts as a teaching assistant, and talk about logistics for events during board meetings for the organizations I’m involved with. The writing skills I came away with have also helped me communicate my ideas clearly and concisely.

• University of Michigan Class of 2024,
studying Sport Management with a
concentration in Marketing and Management

MFS Model UN had a profound impact on my professional and personal growth. My critical thinking, analytical writing, and public speaking skills have all improved dramatically because of my experience in Model UN. The ability to speak publicly in front of large groups, both in prepared speeches and on the fly, has been invaluable during my time at Michigan. Being able to convey ideas clearly and concisely has been applicable to all of my classes and internships, and my ability to do so came in large part from my time in MFS Model UN. My critical thinking skills also improved during my time in Model UN; there was always a strong emphasis on finding creative solutions to the problems we were assigned and not falling into the trap of using a cookie-cutter solution.

• Chief of Staff to New Jersey
Assemblyman Don Guardian
• B.A. University of Chicago, Public
Policy Studies and Political Science

It took until junior year before I discovered crisis committees were my preferred Model UN assignment. Crisis committees offered a handful of delegates a bite-sized, ever-evolving problem and allowed the free-flowing reactions from the war room of delegates to set the direction for the rest of the conference. Each crisis committee allowed me to examine a world event thoroughly, consider the dynamics and alliances at play, and delve deeply into my character who was often barely worthy of a textbook footnote. Yet, in these crisis committees, I saw how global problems had formed from minor figures causing local problems to snowball out of control. Because of the origin of these global problems, their solutions were rarely global in scale; rather, it took a small group of individuals willing to target the minutiae to produce an observably better result. I fully recognize and embrace the irony that my Model UN experience taught me to first consider problems at the local level, but whether it has been my involvement in civic associations, petition drives, parish activities, or business endeavors, I have found the most professional and personal fulfillment in community-oriented pursuits where my actions can lead to results both real and plainly visible.

Crisis committees in particular encouraged delegates to develop long-term planning (15+ committee hours stretched over a multi-day conference), resourcefulness, independence, rapid response, and creative critical thinking. I employ each of these skills daily directing legislative affairs, managing constituent services, handling media interactions, developing overall strategy, and performing many more duties in the service of a state representative.

• Georgetown University Class
of 2026, studying Healthcare
Management and Policy
• Director of Registration for the
North American Invitational Model
United Nations LXI Conference,
hosted by Georgetown.

Model UN allowed me to strengthen soft skills that have proven to be essential in professional and personal endeavors. Although the research, argument development, and critical thinking were crucial in fostering an interest in international relations and global affairs, what sticks with me most is the ability to communicate with others and resolve conflict. Although I no longer compete, the active listening skills I developed through MFS Model UN have stayed with me to this day.

The communication skills I developed in Model UN have informed my leadership development over the past several years. Being able to mediate conflict between others, and manage disagreements that arise between myself and other delegates, have improved my ability to find common ground between opposing views. I am currently participating in a fellowship about global health diplomacy, and when working with other fellows to compose our joint report, I find the communication skills I developed during Model UN to be essential.

• University of Pittsburgh Class of 2025, studying Natural Sciences
• Part-time Research Assistant, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

Participating in MFS Model United Nations has significantly bolstered my confidence in public speaking, conflict resolution, and innovative problem-solving. This experience not only sharpened my skills but also broadened my perspective on global issues, inspiring me to work with the United Nations Development Program in 2021 on initiatives to empower women in the mining industry through education and health awareness. I have learned about the importance of communication, and articulating my thoughts clearly. Model UN helped me in my way of thinking, building plans, and collaborating with others, which I can apply in school and in work.