Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Anderson.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
The most common criticism of Model United Nations (MUN) is that it only simulates, without ever making true change. The first person to tell me this was my father. When I was in high school, he forwarded me a New York Times article describing the wild world of American collegiate MUN. Despite his past experience as an avid MUN-er, he strongly advised me against participating. The scenes that the article portrayed – of Ivy Leaguers playing pretend in suits, talking over one another without making any effort at true diplomacy – did not at all seem like the ideal platform for positive change-making. Indeed, it was hard to conceive that waving a gavel around a glamorous ballroom was a formula for world peace.
It has taken nine years of participation in MUN to fully convince me of its power. My first conference was a local event in Singapore, where I am from. I can’t say that we middle schoolers put forward the most erudite of ideas. However, it was immediately impressive that squirming schoolchildren were sufficiently self-motivated to sit through an entire weekend of debate (provided that not all of them had tiger parents like mine).
It has been even more astounding to see this drive consistently represented in every fellow MUN-er I have met. Despite the economic, geographic, and educational diversity of its many participants, MUN is able to impart a genuine sense of duty to the international community to all those involved. Moreover, as bleak as current events may seem, MUN embodies the strong hope for future generations to collaborate in solving global issues. I firmly believe that although many conditions have to be right to foster a strong generation of world leaders, none of them matter if promising individuals are not genuinely and intrinsically driven to serve those around them. Now that I have the honor of serving as Secretary-General of Harvard National Model United Nations (HNMUN), I am excited to share this belief with thousands of like-minded students across the globe.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Planning a conference for 3,000 college students inevitably comes with challenges. I sometimes wonder how young adults who have never paid taxes, let alone negotiated contracts or processed financial transactions from around the world, have been able to carry this conference for 64 years. I’m currently struggling with this myself – trying to be a good student, daughter, and friend all at once is nearly impossible, even without the Secretary-General role thrown in. I think this is where the self-motivation I previously spoke about is crucial. The entire HNMUN staff would probably agree that we are repeatedly willing to prioritize a four-day conference over other work because we are able to remind ourselves of the impact that we are making.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Harvard National Model United Nations – what should we know?
Harvard National Model United Nations is the world’s oldest, largest, and most prestigious collegiate MUN conference. As we move into our 64th session this Spring, HNMUN will be welcoming 3,000 delegates from over 80 countries to our annual conference in downtown Boston. The core of the conference is the simulation of decision-making bodies around the globe, from the United Nations General Assembly to specialized international organizations to the cabinets of history’s greatest leaders. However, HNMUN also serves as a platform for building life skills, forming lasting friendships, and making a positive social impact.
A unique feature of HNMUN is the international nature of our community. We have recently experienced a major influx of foreign participants to our conference, and still actively conduct outreach to improve diversity. For example, a team from Venezuela won the “Best Large Delegation” award at last year’s conference. It was the first time that an international delegation won this award at HNMUN; having seen the quality of the foreign teams that attend our conference, I highly doubt it will be the last. It is exciting to see international participants integrate so smoothly into the top-ranked conference on the American circuit, and I hope that this trend will permeate into other conferences as well. True diversity amongst our delegates makes HNMUN seem far less like a simulation.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
People are often surprised to hear that HNMUN is entirely student-run. Our staff is composed of 120 Harvard undergraduates, who put countless hours into making the HNMUN experience as impactful and memorable as possible. Every year, 27 committee directors volunteer to write 70-page research papers each, solely in the name of benefitting participants who are not privileged with the access to academic research that we are. Our executive staff works daily, even over the holidays, to ensure efficiency, safety, and fun in all of our operations. While the HNMUN model has inspired countless wonderful conferences across the globe, I think that the levels of skill, drive, and passion in our staff are what enable us to remain the “Super Bowl of MUN.”
Contact Info:
- Address: 59 Shepard St, Box 205, Cambridge, MA 02138
- Website: http://www.hnmun.org/
- Phone: (617)-495-5828
- Email: info@hnmun.org
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hnmun
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/hnmun
Image Credit:
Billy Koech
Tom Franck
Nick Sundberg
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