Words From Our Former MOSMUN Leadership

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A Look Back in Time

With a resounding tap of a gavel and a proclamation of “I hereby open this conference,” my first Model UN conference catapulted me into a whirlwind of debate and excitement. Its effects, however, were sustained long after the final session of debate, my last goodbyes to my newfound friends, and the end of closing ceremonies. 

That weekend, I discovered how empowering it is to see hours and hours of painstaking research result in something so valuable: tangible solutions to some of the most pressing global issues. 

After the conference, the real-world challenges that had first seemed daunting when I encountered them in my research had been tackled and distilled into concrete plans for action. Through an exhilarating combination of dialogue and teamwork, my fellow delegates and I had devised ideas that were innovative, unencumbered by slow bureaucracies or the status quo. 

From then on, I became dedicated to MUN, and more broadly, to international affairs. To the study of these daunting global issues — from cyber security and nuclear non-proliferation, to domestic labor rights and gender-based violence — and the process of finding those hard-won solutions. I also became passionate about the importance of youth voices in international decision-making spaces, and the need for a greater focus on human rights and equality in international affairs.

Why MOSMUN?

As a conference attendee and staffer, I have met hundreds of students from all over the world who participate in MUN. Hearing about their experiences has helped me understand what sets our team, MOSMUN, apart: our camaraderie and focus on uplifting one another. As a MOSMUN member, you’ll come away with unparalleled research and debate skills, but you’ll also make genuine friendships. Some of my favorite memories are the road trips we took to Montreal and Boston together, passing the aux to share our favorite music with each other. At conferences, we discovered restaurants and coffee shops between committee sessions, debriefing our experiences over rose lattes or boba tea. The girls on our team have a long-standing tradition of wearing face masks and watching the Great British Bake-Off on the last night of a conference, heaped into a hotel room to celebrate and unwind. The many fun moments we share during conferences make MOSMUN very special. As a result of our team’s emphasis on collaboration, I learned so much from the students who were older than me when I first joined; when I stepped into a leadership position on the team, I was excited to mentor newer students and continue that legacy. 

Being part of MOSMUN also empowered me to take action outside of MUN committees after I discovered my passion for gender equality and environmental protection. For the last few years, I have been involved with Girl Up, a UN Foundation organization focused on girls’ empowerment. As the leader of its operations in New England, I’ve organized over a dozen leadership development opportunities for young women around the world. I’ve moderated the first ever US Youth Consultation on UN Climate Policy, and even spoken at an event during the real UN Commission on the Status of Women! This year, I’m excited to be interning for the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Global Women’s Issues. I’ll also be serving as a Global Ambassador for the United Nations Association of the USA, advocating for the Sustainable Development Goals. All of these experiences have allowed me to make a tangible impact on the issues I care about, and they wouldn’t have been possible without the lessons I learned as a MUN delegate.

MOSMUN’s Lasting Impact

Since I graduated from high school, my MUN journey continued in an exciting new way. Last year, I served as the Assistant Director of the UN Commission on the Status of Women Committee at the National High School MUN conference (NHSMUN), the largest high school conference in the world. Being able to encourage delegates as they raised their voices, collaborated to write detailed and impactful resolutions, and stepped into leadership roles meant so much to me, especially given the supportive culture I was familiar with as a MOSMUN alum. This year, I am returning to NHSMUN as the Director of the Commission on the Status of Women. I spent this summer writing a background guide on dismantling gender barriers in peacebuilding. I also had the opportunity to meet my fellow staffers from the US, Canada, Mexico, Colombia, Spain, and South Africa for a week in NYC! I am so grateful to bring my favorite committee to life for a second year, surrounded by a welcoming global community. 

What I hope I have conveyed is that MUN will always be an integral part of my life. It shows in the way I speak up confidently in discussions, and cannot contain my enthusiasm in my college courses like “Conflict, Justice, and Peace.” It’s in the way I can find common ground with peers from all around the world, and the way I am already prepared for future jobs given my closet full of blazers. It’s in the organizations that I’m leading, and the many facts I can name about Estonian digital democracy and the Western Sahara’s struggle for sovereignty. It’s in the career I aspire towards, and the change I lead outside of the classroom. 

MUN has challenged me to speak up for what I believe in, exposed me to different viewpoints and global issues, and motivated me to seek collaboration and knowledge. 

Whatever your journey with MOSMUN looks like, I guarantee that it will also leave you with newfound awareness, confidence, passions, and purpose. It will change your life!

Warmly,
Ilinca Drondoe

In 2015, I took the opportunity to join the Mosaic Explore Model United Nations (MUN) team as an eighth-grader. I had no idea what Model UN was, or what being a member of Mosaic’s team would entail, but I entered with an open mind. Little did I know how much this activity and this team would push me to grow as a student, as a speaker, and as a leader. Over the past five years, Model UN has helped me to not only learn about myself and my strengths and weaknesses, but to develop a passion for debating and learning about international affairs.

One of the greatest benefits I’ve gained from participating in Model UN has been my increased confidence. Over my years of competing in Model UN conferences, I’ve developed from a shy eighth grader with a waver in her voice to a confident competitor who gets a thrill out of delivering a strong speech in front of her peers. Of course, as people mature, they often gain confidence, but I feel certain that Model UN and the public speaking experiences it gave me were the catalyst to helping me gain self-assurance. Thanks to my experiences with Mosaic MUN, I’ve delivered many speeches I’m proud of, I’ve remained poised during college and job interviews, and I’ve overcome nerves while giving scientific presentations. The progression of my confidence can be wholly attributed to my involvement in MUN, specifically under the mentorship of our advisor, Cristina. If it hadn’t been for Cristina’s quiet encouragement and thorough constructive criticism, I feel certain that I would still be that anxious eighth-grader, content to blend into the background of a crowded committee room floor.

As the very heart of our tight-knit homeschool team Cristina plays a special role for all of Mosaic’s delegates. She is our teacher, our advisor, our paper-editing wizard, our ‘mom’ while we travel to conferences, and above all, our biggest cheerleader. Had anyone else been Mosaic’s advisor, I know I would have stopped Model UN long ago. As much as I love it now,

Cristina truly fostered that love in me, just like she has for so many other students. Under her guidance, I’ve achieved some of my proudest moments, like winning multiple awards for my research and performance at conferences. Walking up to receive MUN awards for my hard work were standout moments of my high school career, but the best part of earning an award was always turning around and seeing Cristina’s proud grin. She’s never failed to spend countless hours helping me find specific research details, revising my papers, or answering my questions, work in on my end. One of my favorite parts of my involvement in Mosaic has been working with

Cristina as a Class Teaching Assistant, and getting to watch my teammates improve under her guidance. From the quieter students who used to dread speaking but now deliver persuasive speeches to the students who hated researching but now enter conferences with thick binders full of sources, watching as Cristina has pulled us all out of our respective shells has been truly incredible.

Apart from actually competing at conferences or receiving awards, some of my happiest memories from the past few years have come from MUN experiences with my teammates. From exploring the streets of Montréal together to our lively conference debrief sessions at the end of a long day competing, I’ve gained so many incredible memories. I’m so thankful to have joined such a small team—not only for how much individual instruction I’ve received over the years—but also for the friends it’s given me. After attending ten conferences, I’ve never seen another team that seems as tightly bound with fun traditions as ours, whether that be eating meals together at conferences or preparing each other for conferences in our ‘roasting’ bootcamp sessions. After meeting hundreds of delegates who are just going through the motions of MUN as members of enormous teams, I’ve become more and more grateful for our tight group of students who really want to learn and improve.

Another aspect of Mosaic that I’ve absolutely loved has been how much the size of our team allows for us to customize our MUN experience. For many high school teams, faculty advisors set the curriculum and conference schedule one year, and rarely adjust it again. With our team, however, Cristina is constantly asking for our input, which is amazing. Our curriculum, training techniques and preparation schedules have been adjusted every year of my five years with Mosaic, and it has improved each year. Not only does Cristina regularly seek suggestions on what areas of MUN we want to work on, but also which conferences we find most fun and challenging—which is why the conferences we attend now are so incredible.

I’ve also had the honor of serving as Mosaic’s Vice President for two years, and its President for two years, which has been an invaluable experience. Many homeschoolers don’t have the opportunity to gain leadership experiences (since we aren’t involved in traditional clubs), but I’ve been so grateful to gain some leadership skills through MUN. From giving presentations on my area of MUN expertise to helping Cristina design the curriculum to assisting my teammates with research and paper revising, my time as a leader within Mosaic has strengthened my own skills as a delegate and allowed me to get closer with my teammates.

Looking back at my years of Model UN now, I can confidently say that joining Mosaic Explore’s team was one of the best decisions I have ever made. It’s made me better at speaking, debating, writing, negotiating, researching, and leading, and it’s given me an outlet to further my love for politics and international affairs. It’s given me confidence, and the ability to win over a crowded room of delegates I’ve never met. Not only have I gained tangible skills that will stick with me for years to come, but my MUN experiences also strengthened my college applications. I was able to boost my resume with my leadership positions, various individual awards, and even a part-time job I had writing MUN articles for the Best Delegate website. I’m certain that these skills and achievements made me a stronger applicant, and I’m excited to enter into the collegiate MUN circuit with valuable experiences already under my belt.

As I head off to school in the fall to study neuroscience and political science, I’m both eager to continue my MUN career in a new environment and incredibly sad to leave my Mosaic MUN years behind me. I will forever be grateful to have joined Mosaic all those years ago and for all the skills, experiences, and amazing memories Mosaic, Cristina, and my teammates have given me.

To anyone considering joining Mosaic—know how lucky you are to be at the start of your MUN journey. No matter how nervous or unprepared you might feel now, this experience will undoubtedly be an amazing one. If given the opportunity to do it all over again, I would do so in a heartbeat, and I urge you to do the same!