YMCA Model UN - Burlington County, New Jersey

Name: Paul Yang

Delegation: Montgomery High School

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Letter:

            I’ve come to take my school Model UN slogan to heart: MUN is fun. Catchy, playful, and actually not very good at all, it captures what makes Model UN so great: that it is, in fact, fun. Whether with joke resolutions allowing the pirates of Tortuga to maraud the seas in search of Western booty, or realizing Easy Mac isn’t actually easy to make, to even staying up late with your friends, MUN is truly fun. Not only that, but passing your own resolution, or shutting down an enemy country’s agenda (kindly of course) gives a great sense of satisfaction. By the end of MUN almost everyone has had at least a marginally good time even if they don’t enjoy debating.

What appeals to me about MUN and especially the position of Secretary General is how much you can make someone else happier, how much you can directly give others a better experience. My friend from far-away once said this best: in an ice breaker about our desired superpowers, his answer for the superpower he wanted most was “to make everybody happy.” These are no trite words when I say I am happy when I can please others. Model UN is fun enough already, but as Secretary General, I could start to implement all the ideas that I brainstormed while experiencing it for the first time two years ago, take input from all the friends in MUN, all the acquaintances I have made. Surely every other Secretary General has done that, but I want my turn, my chance. It is not that I deserve it, but that I hope that I can garner the good faith of enough people to give me a try and let me try and make MUN that much more fun for them and for myself.

 I am going to be honest: character development is great, leadership training is excellent, developing abilities too is fine; however what I value most is happiness. Someone will not get character development if that someone is miserable. You cannot develop speaking when you are scared to talk. In the end, I want the job which is less fun in order to make your role more fun. I believe that the role of the Secretary General is to take enough work on in order to make conference less stressful. With enough pre-planning, the seeds for development and growth in character are already planted with needing nothing but an enjoyable time to water it and to make it grow.

I want to be the Secretary General that walks around to every committee, and makes you laugh. I want to be the Secretary General that works just as hard as every other one in the past to make the next conference better. I want to be the Secretary General that is part of the weekend that is memorable and fun. MUN is fun and it deserves to stay that way.

BIO:

Grade: 11 (must be a junior)                          Years in YMCA Model UN: Two (In third year)

Country & Committee Assignment: Norway (Officer), Council Economic Advancement

School /Delegation: Montgomery High School

List past leadership positions held:

-Camp Counselor (3 years)

-Afterschool Daycare

List 3 strengths and 2 weaknesses you have and briefly explain:

Strengths

-Focus: If I set my mind to do something, I will pursue it doggedly and not give up until I reach my goal or unless I realize it is unreachable

-Light-Hearted: I tend to be jovial and don’t take things too personally. This does not mean that I cannot be serious, but that I believe that a little joviality can always brighten a situation.

-Innovative: I like to think outside the box. Sometimes this is not helpful, but at many times it will at least bring about a humorous ending if not a better idea.

Weaknesses

-Stubborn: Whether a precursor to or a byproduct of focus, I sometimes hang onto an idea or opinion for a little too long, even when I am wrong.

-Imprecise: Although I will try and accomplish something, I will sometimes overlook a small error or some silly mistake.

If elected as Secretary General, pick a relevant global issue you would consider as the conference theme and explain a feasible service project to address it:

One global issue that is close to my heart is the dearth of food in many communities around the world. As someone who has at least a marginal affection for deliciousness, it is really saddening that so many go without food globally. Especially looking at how plentiful food and access to bountiful nutrition is for us, it seems almost alien that others should not have a sliver of our ability to be full. Although one of the most cliché service projects, a food drive is still one of the simplest and most effective ways of delivering what so many need. Dried foods, canned food, preserved foods: all these often come with many calories, many nutrients and store well. Although no single conference can solve the hunger of the entire world, addressing the issue of world hunger bit by bit will at least make someone smile.

Detail an instance where you acted socially responsible in accord with the goals of Y-MUN:

I was camping, just last year, with some family friends. That day we went on a hike and there was this monster of a 3^rd grade; he was a monster because he came and hiked for 7 miles with us; up hills, down hills and what not, and still going strong. I swear he was not quite 4ft6 but he hung in there. But when we got back, we had Lunch-Dinner (like brunch, but dinner instead of breakfast). I wisely decided to walk to a nearby lake, thinking it was but a few steps away, and got Harry, this 3^rd grader to come with me. It was quite unfortunate. It was another two miles and it was uphill; seriously, it was like the lake was at the top of a mountain. Anyhow, he seemed ready to drop so I decided that since I managed to convince him to come with me and he was rather small, I would carry him the rest of the way. So I put him on my back, and carried him up the hill and eventually we got there fine, and found someone with a car to take us back. I’d like to think that this highlights some of my better deeds: taking responsibility for my unwise prompting, caring by carrying about this awesome kid, and perhaps if I stretch a little, it demonstrates my willingness to work harder to make someone else’s life easier.