Wrapping up the year

This year I had the amazing opportunity to be part of the Signature Project group. I learned so much about myself and what I can accomplish with hard work. Being the President of a Model United Nations Conference, leading the Model UN Club, and attending two conferences was not easy, but every moment was worth it. 

After accomplishing all of this, I look back at the most stressful situations and laugh at myself. I laugh because I have no idea how I managed to go through them, especially alone. I laugh because I miss it. And I laugh because I have grown so much because of it. I can say that I grew so much because of this Signature Project, and I am so grateful to the Signature Team for giving me the opportunity to do it. My proudest moment was definitely standing in front of the delegates who would participate in the EWMUNC the morning of the conference and giving a speech about the importance of MUN in our lives. It was a very touching moment, and every little thing I had worked on came together to one and magically functioned the way I wanted it to. 

I guess the entire Signature Project was a challenge, but I don't think anything was more challenging than getting people interested in the EWMUN Conference. At Emma there is a vibe that girls can only do something if there is food, prizes, or boys. I tried bringing these things together but there were simply other things to do that were more important on a Saturday afternoon, because after all, who wants to debate during a Saturday? Anyhow, I managed to get some people interested in joining and it was really amazing because the thirty people who were there enjoyed and valued Model United Nations, and thus, made it extra especial. 

If I were to do this all over again, I would expect less. Especially when it comes to something that you can't control, and is determined by the amount of people who show up or are interested, you just have to be more patient and understanding. Therefore, if you are reading this and planning on continuing my project for future years: do not expect the best of both worlds when it does not depend on you! You have done the best you can, and it will turn out great one way or the other :) just be sure of yourself, you were already brave enough to begin this in the first place. 

This is the last post I will ever blog. But if you have been following my blog, thank you so much for reading. It has been one incredible year, and I am so happy I did this. 

Forever MUNer, 
Camila

Reading this and planning to do a Signature Project next year?

Here is what to do and not to do:

1. Yes, for most of you it will be your Senior year, and by January you will be tired and ready to go to college but... WAIT!!! Your Signature Project is SUPER important! So,

Yes, DO NOT PROCRASTINATE. If you want your Project to be successful, do it now. Do not wait until "after Spring Break" to plan things out.

2. Keep a list of PRIORITIES. If you are a Senior, the most important thing in your list should be college. Yes, finish your applications, write your essays, submit them on time. Then, it is up to you to divide school work and Signature work. But, do give your schedule a time to work on Signature things, if not you will not work on it.

3. Keep track of Schoology updates for Milestones. Schoology should be your best friend by now, but if not, make it your best friend and check it every day three times a day!

4. MEET WITH YOUR MENTOR. She or he will be able to support you, wipe your tears, provide you with new ideas or answers, give you new things to think about, and help you! But, do not forget to always thank them! Saying "thank you" is super duper important.

5. Related to Model United Nations, you should start working on your project during summer before starting your Senior Year. Things to do:

• Set goals and milestones for yourself
• Start thinking about your final goal. Is it your own conference? Is it attending extra conferences? It is up to you!
• Work on your project and relate it to other things. What about doing MUN for Community Service? Helping a Public School create their own club?
• Think about the CLUB! Handling Club stuff is very important and should be equal priority as handling Signature Project stuff.

6. Make sure you have as many people as possible interested in the Activities Fair at the beginning of the school year. It is what is going to make your conference and your club successful.

More advice will come soon!!

Signature Project Presentation

During the upcoming Reunion Weekend, I will be presenting my Signature Project to Emma Willard Alumnae, Faculty, and Students! This presentation is scheduled to take 15 minutes, and I am super excited to show my work to everyone. It will be on Saturday, April 25th at 8:45 am. Here is a sneak peek of my presentation:

Last Step: Attending Cornell Model UN Conference

This weekend from April 16th- 19th, 20 Emma Students, including myself, attended a four day conference at Cornell University. With more than 200 delegates and 20 different committees, we spend four days debating different topics and experiencing more of what it feels like to be an ambassador of the UN. 

We had the opportunity to listen to Ravi Karkara at the Opening Ceremony. Ravi Karkara "is a trained Social Worker with commitment to advancing human rights, gender equality, inclusion, and social justice". All of the Emma students were amazed by the speaker especially because of what he had to say about gender equality. He spoke about the He for She campaign, and encouraged young men to sign the pledge. The most interesting part of his speech was the way he began. He portrayed the way the United Nations work, and how it is not Me, We, or Them, it is Us. In addition to speaking about Gender Equality, he also spoke about his time in India, and the important things he had learned from his mother and from his education. He reiterated that education is vital for us, and it is crucial that we are able to support children who are in need of an education. 


This was an amazing conference to attend, and the Emma Willard delegation had an amazing time and learned more about Model UN and its complex uses. In addition, we got to see Cornell, experience how the College Town is during the day, attend a delegate Dance, and meet students from different states and countries who are also passionate about MUN.

At the Closing Ceremony, students were awarded, and although Emma Willard did not receive any awards, Mary R'16 received a verbal commendation in her committee. I am very happy for everyone's work at the Conference, and I hope the Model UN Club decides to attend again next year. 

EWMUN Conference was a huge success!

This April 11th, Emma Willard officially hosted its first Model UN Conference. While it was certainly hard to organize and to carry such an important event, I was successful in putting all the pieces of the puzzle together. From 9:00 am- 4:30 pm, 30 Emma Willard students focused on intense debating about Terrorism in the US in the Crisis Committee, and the controversy of Turkey joining the European Union in the General Assembly. Both committees were successful and able to pass various resolutions and directives addressing the problems, and every single delegate was involved.

The Conference began at 9:00 am, with the Opening Ceremony where I gave a short speech about my voyage through MUN, and why I believe it is so important for us. Then, we continued to hear from the Chairs of each committee who gave a brief explanation of what was expected of each delegate during the day. Registration opened 30 minutes before opening ceremony. The picture on the left is the reception for registration, where our Treasurer, Sierra S'16, registered every delegate and handed in pens, placards, and notes.

During the day, each committee worked hard on passing resolutions and directives. Crisis Committee, which represented the Department of Homeland Security and was lead by Carolina M'15 and Mallika M'16 was busy with Crisis updates on countering terrorism, and there was an update where they had 10 minutes to save 1,000 innocent civilians from an attack in the "Mall of America". While the committee was successful at the task, there were still casualties and the delegates were unable to retrieve intelligence from the terrorist group attacking the mall.


On the other hand, the General Assembly was busy trying to debate whether or not Turkey should join the European Union, and the pros and cons that come with this decision. Cecelia P'16, the chair of the committee said that she was impressed with the number of novice delegates who were able to use Parliamentary Procedure in such an eloquent way. While some delegates were a bit confused, the debate went on smoothly and continued to be fun. The picture on the right shows three delegates during an unmoderated caucus drafting a resolution for the GA.

At the end of the day, both committees joined and carried a "Joint Crisis Committee Session" where both the Department of Homeland Security and the delegations of the European Union joined their forces to combat terrorism in Europe and Canada. While this was certainly the most entertaining time during the conference, Closing Ceremony was my favorite part of the day.

Closing Ceremony took place from 3:50-4:30 pm Saturday afternoon. Each chair and assistant chair awarded the Best and Outstanding Delegate awards to the delegates who had succeeded at understanding Parliamentary Procedure, speaking at the debate coherently, proposing new ideas and drafting resolutions, and engaging with the topic. In the General Assembly, Harriet C'17 and Liliya F'17 were awarded Best and Outstanding Delegate. In the Crisis Committee, Sierra S'16 and Hannah L'17 were awarded Best and Outstanding Delegate. While it was a tough decision in both committees, these four delegates excelled at the EWMUNC and we are very proud of their work.

Here are some pictures of Closing Ceremony. I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed planning this conference!

Register now using the link below:

http://goo.gl/forms/w38AOWTRTP

Committees ready, schedule ready, invitations sent... What's next?

"What's the next step they ask?" 
Planning the EWMUN Conference has been a challenging task, and it has required a great amount of work. But now that I am seeing the results it is totally worth it. Invitations to the EW Community were sent this past Tuesday, and for now we have 20 Emma Girls who want to participate. Registration will be open until April 5th. Now, schedule has been completed, committees have been thoughtfully chosen by the Chairs of each committee with certain guidelines, and we have almost everything ready! Now, the next couple of weeks before the conference will be dedicated into analyzing carefully the logistics of the conference.


"Who will be our guest speakers they ask?"

Unanimously the EWMUNC Staff has selected two faculty members who have been involved in History and Humanities and are deeply involved in the fight for human rights. This will remain a surprise until Opening Convocation.

"What's the final schedule?"
9:00 am- Opening Ceremony at Kiggins Auditorium

9:45-12:00- Committee Session I

1:00-3:00 Committee Session II

3:00-3:20 Break

3:25- 5:45 Committee Session III

6:00 Award Ceremony with guest speaker

"Where will each committee session take place in?"

Each chair has chosen their rooms... Crisis committee will meet in a classroom at Slocum, The General Assembly will meet in Maguire, and Specialized Committee will meet in Kellas Commons. 

Encourage your friends to register! This will be lots of fun, and you will become more aware of the complex world that surrounds us all!

Thanks, and stay tuned for more!

Committees are ready!

Committee preparations for the EWMUN Conference are ready! After a lot of thinking about current events, polemics, and other factors that have been present in our world nowadays, we have decided on the topics and delegations for our Committees.

The General Assembly- Turkey's Involvement in the European Union

The GA will be lead by Cecelia P '16 (Chair) and Mary R '16 (Assistant Chair).  They both have been involved with Model United Nations club this year, and have demonstrated great leadership and organization skills.

The topic for this committee will be: Should Turkey Be Allowed to Enter the European Union? 
Delegates in this committee will engage in discussions regarding Turkey's involvement, and its impact on the European Union's political, economic, and ethnic concerns.

***This Committee is open to (but not only) students how have little to no experience on Model United Nations debate. 

Specialized Committee- Egyptian Constitutional Committee

Deena M '16 and Serena S '16 have been selected to lead this committee as Chair and Assistant Chair. Deena was awarded "Best Delegate" at the Bard MUN Conference this past November 2014. Her Committee topic was fairly similar to the topic she is using. Serena has been involved with the MUN Club throughout the year, and I am excited to see her become a leader at this conference.

The topic delegates in this committee will be debating is the idea of creating a bright and stable future for Egypt's Economy. This will involve four main areas that must be addressed to obtain this: subsidy reform, solvency and foreign investment, public/private sector balance, and sustainable development of domestic industry. 

I am excited to see what Deena and Serena will come up with, and this will certainly be a fun and entertaining committee to be part of.

Crisis Committee- Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

Carolina Martins '15, the Co-Head of the Model UN Club, has been selected unanimously to be the leader of the Crisis Committee. With past experience in the BOSMUN Conference in 2014, and Bard Conference in November, Carolina is well prepared to head this discussion and have great output. For her Assistant Chair, she has chosen to lead the committee with Mallika Machra '16, who does not have as much experience as Carolina, but is eager to learn and become a Model UN leader.

The topic for this committee is the Department of Homeland Security's mission to secure the nation from distinctive threats, and as Carolina commented on the Background Guide: "It will make for a rewarding and enriching experience that will grant you a greater level of access to the complexities of the United States security issues, and greater understanding of the world around you."

This will be an advanced committee, very fast-paced... but also very fun to participate in!