I was first introduced to Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) through Model United Nations (MUN). As a delegate, I always thought about the effort that runs behind the scenes for us to be able to experience such sophisticated MUNs. It sparked my curiosity about the university after seeing how well-educated and knowledgeable all the chairs and staff were. It truly drove my passion for international affairs. As a Georgetown student that started with chairing, I wanted to take it even a step further and find a place on the executive board as Head Of Communications for this year.
MUN is a part of the pre-college programs that GUQ hosts for high school students and it aims to demonstrate an inspiring commitment to global peace for the next generations. This year's MUN hosted over 450 students representing 51 schools across 13 countries. The theme selected by the board was “Global Security: Learning From The Past”. We hoped that this would be a way for the students to take a moment to reflect on the conflicts and disputes that have happened in the past and take that as a focal point to avoid similar issues in the future. It had been a long time since the height of the pandemic and we expected this theme would offer them the chance to think about the changed world around them with an open mind and start analyzing the problems that had emerged through the past years. It was an overwhelmingly successful theme as we watched amazing debates unfold in committees as well as perfectly written resolutions were submitted to chairs. We all made sure to make it a priority and focus on our main stakeholders, the high school students, to be able to give them an unforgettable experience. It was a successful method as the feedback we received from advisors and students was positive and motivating for us.
As Head Of Communications, I was responsible for leading the Press Team along with my Deputy Head, Mohamed Noeman, to be able to cover all aspects of the conference as well as enhance our presence on social media. Furthermore, we were able to document instances of our crisis videos happening in committees. We witnessed how well participants handled being in an international MUN for the first time in years after the pandemic. Delegates took part in respectful diplomatic debates that were very well prepared and respected the differences they were confronted by from different backgrounds and cultures. Personally, my favorite part was all the creative content created during this MUN which marks a new approach to our social media presence as well. We allowed the delegates full creativity and there was a reels competition for the most fun reel which was filmed by the delegates and with the help of the press. For the first time, I saw a lot of delegates step out of their comfort zone and shared a creative side with us. My team and I made sure to make the most out of the conference time and take the time to get to know the delegates and maximize their positive experience.
While conducting interviews with the delegates, it was amazing to see what they had to say about the MUN experience and how many of them grew with us. It is always a good feeling to see delegates return every year or even in between Fall and Spring MUN where their growth can be clearly noticed. I came into some committees to challenge them with what we call a “crisis” where we present them with an unexpected situation to deal with on the spot, this enhances their team working skills and their ability to public speak unrehearsed as well. I usually tried to make it more challenging by giving them my decision on whether or not they failed or passed the crisis to show them how they worked in a team and through that, I was able to also shed some light on issues as an International Politics major and try to help them with my knowledge as much as I can.
Being on this year’s board led by Benjamin Kurian and Jibin Koshy was an experience that I knew I wouldn’t regret, although it was tiring between stressing about the goodie bags, coming up with topics, and selecting a general theme, it was an extremely rewarding experience as I feel like it has helped me further give back to the Georgetown community mostly my press team, and to the high school students that I met and interacted with.
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