Conversations with MUN Giants—Part I: Interview with the KYMUN ‘Guardians’
Yoo Song (Alexandra) Lee and Solina Shim are the managing directors of the Korea Youth Model United Nations, the THIMUN-affiliated conference based in Jeju Island, South Korea. The delegate registration and the application process for the KYMUN 2015 student officer team will be open in mid-December via its website at http://www.kymun.org
They’re not nervous. It has been well over two years since I’ve gotten to know these two amazing women, both through our work together and outside the MUN stage; so this ‘interview’ was for us a yet another candid roundtable talk.
I remember meeting them for the first time. I understood upon experiencing their charisma that I had come to meet individuals who are beyond extraordinary, but I had no idea that they were going to prove themselves to be one in a million. Over time with the growth of the KYMUN Community, they came not only to lead but to inspire, teach, share, empower and influence. They are now two of the MUN giants in Korea, well known and deserving of every bit of such nation-wide recognition.
For the two years I’ve known these two women, I’ve come to conclusions that there is no one better to fill their positions. They have truly ingrained in their leadership values, convictions and morals of the KYMUN Community, and they have thus far led the MUN stage with their natural-born charisma.
What impresses me the most about these women, however, is not their obvious magnetism. It is the depth of their understanding of the mission of the UN and their practical approach to realize such mission everyday. They help, ask, listen, reach out and give even at the risk of not receiving anything in return. They understand that world peace begins only from within and take a step—both small and significant—everyday to achieve it.
They know that if they are yet to be able to help a thousand, they can simply start by helping one. They know that if they are yet to able to change the world, they can simply begin by changing who we are, being the change we want to see in others. At age nineteen, this level of maturity is far beyond remarkable.
But it would be a huge mistake to think that they only give. They speak up. They adamantly resist injustice. They use their clear conscience to make a judgment on what is right and wrong and stand their ground. When they have finally made a decision that something is against their principle, they don’t hold back. Their voice is compelling, charismatic, personal and emotional. They draw people in and don’t let them leave without having been inspired.
They are awake, aware and adamant. They know what MUN stands for, its significant influence on young adults and what we should do as the provider of part of the MUN stage. They know the responsibility of our community. Even I myself am not able to escape their criticisms; they will kick my butt when they feel as if I am veering off our mission.
They hold tremendous amount of pride that we were able to make it. With these two, I’ve experienced what it would truly take for our conference to achieve its founding mission—the progress has been incredibly challenging and personal. But we got through it, to find ourselves in hands far better, far beyond our own volitions.
So these two women to me are not simply my colleagues. They are what I consider few of the most important guardians of the KYMUN Community. I don’t know how I got so lucky, but all I know is that our community as well as the MUN stage at-large is in a good standing because of these two women.
Interviews with Yoo Song (Alexandra) Lee and Solina Shim will soon be posted in the following articles for the project. Please stay tuned. 🙂
