On the 13th of February, IE’s Debate Club embarked on a week-long adventure to Boston, Massachusetts to compete in the prestigious 69th entry of the annual Harvard National Model United Nations conference. I was a part of this team, and this is my insider perspective on the outstanding event.
Although our adventure may seem like it began on the 13th with our flight from Madrid to Boston, it really started during the first weeks of the 2022 autumn semester. Because it was IE’s second time attending this conference as a delegation, the delegation began preparing as soon as possible. They knew that this was vital if they wanted to stand a chance against the many delegations, both national and international, that would be attending and competing in this conference. However, there was one small problem: they were missing two delegates.
The first MINIMUM hosted by IE during the 2022-2023 academic year in Segovia was the test to determine which two delegates would join this team and the other teams that would represent IE internationally in other conferences. After the long day, the delegates were chosen, and thus the delegation was complete. This is where the training really commenced for all of us.
Every week, we met for up to 5 hours at a time to refine our skills, practice what to do in certain situations and research all topics that we would possibly be debating during the conference. The training sessions were thorough and covered the many aspects that we would eventually touch upon and apply during our time at the conference. The training even continued until the same day of our flight to Boston, during which we did a collective training session mid-flight. The training stopped and the action began once we stepped foot in Boston. Although the conference would not start until the 16th, we had to begin working to make a presence at the conference.
Before our first session and after the opening ceremony, we had one last team meeting to go over everything we trained, everything we did and all that we built up until that exact moment. We were set off to shine and give it our all for the three days that the conference lasted. Three days filled with negotiations, brainstorming, debating and speeches that culminated on the evening of the 19th with the closing ceremony. After all our hard work, we were looking forward to the awards section of this ceremony.
After all our hard work, we were victorious. Out of the 11 committees we represented, more than half of them won an award. Regardless of awards, we were all proud of the hard work and dedication that we put in for the conference. IE’s HNMUN delegation was a true team that genuinely supported and cared for everybody within it. Our differences, disagreements or previous feuds did not matter – we knew we were a team and supported each other constantly through sadness, frustration or anger, and we always brought each other back towards the correct path.
After the rollercoaster of emotions that was both the conference and the closing ceremony, we finally came back home victorious. The following is a list of the awards won by the IE delegation. Among the awards won by the delegation were the ‘Best Delegate’, ‘Honorable Mention’ and the ‘Diplomatic Commendation’ awards. The end of the conference was cathartic and marked an incredible ending to some of the delegation’s members’ MUN delegate careers.
The entire experience was one that I and many others would go through again, as the experience gained, the relationships formed and the bonds strengthened were the true highlights of the conference. I am proud to say that after tears of joy and exasperation, after fits of rage, after laughs and triumph: we did it. We cannot wait for what is to come at next year’s conference. Bring it on!
