The entire Best Delegate team wants to thank everyone in the Model UN community for your continued support. For those of you in the United States — Happy Thanksgiving! We traditionally do a Thanksgiving post and this year we wanted to give our team members a chance to share that we’re all thankful for in our Model UN journeys. Feel free to share what you’re thankful for too in the comments below!
Ryan Villanueva Thanksgiving marks the 5th year for Best Delegate as a blog and the 2nd year for Best Delegate as an organization. We’ve come a long way and there’s a lot to be thankful for. Looking at the past year, I’m very thankful for:
Our Best Delegate Associates, both this year’s class and last year’s, who have done a fantastic job running the blog and social media pages, planning events, and helping us with special projects;
The schools and groups in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan, Bahrain, Honduras, the United Kingdom, Canada, Puerto Rico, and throughout the United States who welcomed KFC and me into their communities and hosted us with such gracious hospitality;
Cameron and Ann at THIMUN Qatar for inviting KFC and me to speak at the Qatar Leadership Conference, which was an incredible experience for both of us;
Our friends at MVHSMUN, YIRA, Montessori MUN, CalYMCA, and Online MUN;
Each student, parent, and teacher who attended our workshops and summer camps;
My family, who have been incredibly supportive and helpful;
And, especially, fans of Best Delegate!
Kevin Felix Chan
I think Ryan already covered many of the people I am also thankful for, but I do want to add a few more who I felt made a big difference in my experience this year:
One more time to the superstar team of Best Delegate Associates;
Everyone at Yale, UCI, Saudi Arabia, and Hawaii who made our Model UN summer camps experience simply amazing;
Conferences that were very generous in hosting me including ILMUNC, BosMUN, NAIMUN, LIMUN, La Federacion, and the Qatar Leadership Conference;
WAMUNC and CCCMUN for having me deliver keynote speeches;
All the advisors, head delegates, and conference staff who proactively keep me updated about the circuit and support us in other ways;
CK Lin who has been an informal mentor to our organization;
Aileen Tie for collaborating on the now-infamous Stuff Model UN Delegates Say video;
All the friends and MUN alumni who’ve hosted me or kept me company in different cities;
My family who continually supports me in this endeavor.
I spent most of the year living permanently on the road, and I am thankful for all the times when other organizations or people reached out to me unexpectedly: LIMUN 2012 Secretariat taking me to dinner, Columbia team inviting me to late-night dessert after NYUMUNC, Ray Hernandez of FIU taking me to Calle Ocho in Miami, Liz Alarcon inviting me to join her USG group dinner during GCIMUN, St. Francis inviting me to the birthday party after UCIMUN, LIMUN 2013 Secretary-General Anniete Cohn-Lois for playing mixer co-host during the UN Workshop, and various teams taking me in as one of their own during conferences. These are the moments I am thankful for and will remember the most.
Emily Block
Happy Thanksgiving! This year I am thankful for everyone involved in University of Connecticut Model UN, and particularly the secretariat for running a great conference only a few weeks ago! I am thankful for the delegates whom I have directed because they taught me far more then I taught them, and also my former committee directors who helped to inspire my love of MUN. Thank you to Kevin, Ryan and the rest of the Best Delegate team for helping make my journey with Best Delegate so incredibly rewarding. Last, but not least, thank you to Best Delegate’s readers. Thank you for your support of Best Delegate over the years!
Mari Manoogian
This is all about so sound unbelievably cliché, but this past year of MUN truly has left me with so much to thankful for. As most readers know, I’ve spent the beginning of this season getting used to my new school, George Washington University, and my new MUN team. First, I want to extent a huge thanks to my Michigan State University friends and former teammates, namely Chris Bourdganis, Kelsey Weyhing, and Teresa (Treebug) Dettloff and the rest of MSU-IRO; thanks for being such great competitors and amazing friends. I can’t wait to see you at McMUN! To my former teammates Jim Smith, Peter Sattler, and Robbie Coon; thanks for helping me prep for the Revolutionary War committee at SCSY, and letting me vent to you afterwards! Thanks to my Georgetown MUN buddies, Claire (ClaireBear) Zeng, Dane Shikman and Sam Brothers, for including me with your team as I adjusted to life in DC this summer. To Christopher Longman, Amy O’Halloran, Blake Goodman, Jared Greenspan, Roddy Lee, Max Sanders and the rest of the GWIAS crew; thank you for welcoming me to your team with open arms, for making me feel like I’m not the ‘new kid’ anymore, and for a great first semester at GW. I truly couldn’t have asked for a smoother transition to my new home in DC. Last but not least, I want to thank my family for supporting my Model UN ambitions, even if they think I’m way too old to be playing pretend for a few weekends each semester. 2012 has been so good to me; here’s to another MUNderful year!
Sabrina Ostrowski
Happy Thanksgiving from Canada! I’d personally like to give a special thanks to the 2013 McMUN Secretariat. We’ve all grown a lot since the start of our mandate and it’s been an amazing journey thus far. We’ve been on quite the roller-coaster, but I wouldn’t have it any other way, or with anybody else. I’d also like to give a quick shout out to all the delegates I’ve had the opportunity to chair and crisis direct. They’re the ones I do MUN for and the fuel that keeps me going in this cut-throat world. Finally, thank you to my parents. They still have no idea what Model UN is, yet they continue to support me in it.
Nikita Barde
Happy Thanksgiving! In Model UN, it’s easy to get carried away with participating at conferences, conference logistics, and leadership initiatives. I’d like to give a special thanks to all the fall conference organizers, participants, as well as the Best Delegate team for furthering the progress of Model UN during a busy time of the year. Another shout out goes to my peers on the West Windsor-Plainsboro Model UN officer board and advisor Laura Bond in appreciation of all these individuals do to enhance my experience in MUN. I’m thankful to have continued Model UN, and I wish everyone the best for the holidays.
Loreena Percy
(Canadian) Thanksgiving: I’d personally like to thank my advisor in high school, Mrs. Julie Mills, who introduced me to Model UN and took our delegation to McGill’s high school conference SSUNS in my junior year. That trip was one of the major reasons that I chose to study at McGill and why I continue to be involved in MUN to this day. Also, I’d like to thank my fellow dais members and the delegation team at McGill, who make every conference so memorable, remarkable, and hilarious. Finally, I am most grateful to my parents, whose unwavering support and endless encouragement from across the country is what allows me to continue doing what I do.
Ashley Inman
Only in America would we devote a holiday to giving thanks for what we have, then proceed to buy copious amounts of things we don’t need one day later. But Black Friday jokes aside, this Thanksgiving several things hold a special place in my heart. First, I’m thankful for the friends I’ve made on UF’s Model UN team: from the “Delegate Barbie” jokes, to Wednesday night kickball, to adventures at the Waffle House, I’ve had some of the best times of my freshman year with members of the MUN team, and for that I’m grateful. Next, I cannot thank my parents enough, who continue to pay unnecessary amounts of money to allow me to attend conferences and buy brightly-colored suits because of my love for MUN. And finally, I am infinitely thankful for the sisterhood I have joined, Alpha Delta Pi. I never could have imagined how deep the bonds of friendship with you ladies would grow, or how quickly we would evolve from PNMs to a family. I am endlessly grateful to call myself your friend, your sister, and your fellow ADPi. This Thanksgiving, I hope everyone finds the happiness that my family and I had found. Happy holidays!
Jessica Shin
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, from China to Europe! Being a part of the Best Delegate team has made me realize the huge planning and logistics that Model UN takes, and therefore I would first like to thank all the Teacher Advisors and MUN program organizers who work tirelessly to put on their conference and further the mission of Model UN! I would also like to thank the UHS MUN Secretariat, because of our advancements in this year and further progress to put on large conferences and slowly, but surely, reach great heights! I’d like to thank the Best Delegate team for their constant effort and friendliness! And lastly, I thank my dad, sister, and brother for being such an amazing support system for the down days. I love you all, and hope you have a wonderful thanksgiving and a great black friday shopping!
Sarah Collins
This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for my fellow PV Peninsula High secretariat members. You all work so hard to keep our club running, and I really appreciate it. To Dr. D especially, thank you for dedicating your life to our club. I’d also like to thank everyone who worked for or participated in YMUNI. You all made my experience fantastic. Lastly, I’d like to thank KFC and Ryan for giving me this fantastic opportunity and the other Media Associates for working so well as a team. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Fozan Ghalib
Model United Nations holds a special place in my heart, it was an MUN where I was introduced to my passion for public speaking and it was here where I met some of my best friends. From my first MUN conference back in years to the one I’m about to Chair this weekend, I have been highly inspired by this one person who taught me Model UN and has been a true role model; Aitzaz Rehman Sheikh, a terrific MUNer of his time and the leading President of Model United Nations Society of Pakistan (MUNSP). Thank you, we will continue your legacy. Lastly, I would like to give a big shout out to all those people in the MUN circuit I got to chair and debate with , without them this journey wouldn’t have been that amazing. You guys are the best. Happy Thanksgiving from Pakistan and UK!
Jullian Bao
Reflections, and just a small confession — I’ve always wanted to be a page at a national conference, for just once. But I never was. This year, I have a lot to be thankful for, especially with regards to the JPSMUN seniors and Mr. White. Thank you for teaching me how to speak with post-its and solve a crisis in a GA. More importantly, thank you for your commitment to the club, and for showing how we all can accomplish so much more as individuals speaking in the front of a room. Freshman year, I stepped into my first MUN meeting wondering how I would ever find clarity in my words; senior year, I’m realizing that there’s this intrinsic sense of completion in the JPSMUN family — this great feeling of fulfillment. Happy Thanksgiving!
Phill Venice
I’d like to thank all of the delegates and faculty advisors I’ve had the privilege of working with and for throughout my Model U.N. career. I’m inspired by the enthusiasm – and hope for a better world – of every delegate I’ve been privileged to meet through ILMUNC, UPMUNC, the WEMUN Expo, and the countless other conferences I’ve attended. While often underappreciated, the faculty advisors that attend to these delegates are really the glue that keeps the Model U.N. community intact, and I truthfully could not be more grateful for the contribution they make every year. Finally, I’d like to thank my friends in the International Affairs Association for their hard work, passion, and unwavering dedication. More importantly, I’d like to thank them for their friendship and their ability to put the activity in perspective, regardless of what challenges life may throw at us; I miss you all dearly!
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Who or what are you thankful for in your Model UN journey? Feel free to share by leaving a comment below!
