It’s been a long time since I’ve been in New York City, but New York City has always been in me. The last time I was there was on Saturday, December 14, 2019, for a Model UN conference hosted by The Bronx High School of Science. Perhaps some of you are only vaguely familiar with Model UN, but for me, it was never about the political discourse, the formal attire, or the awards, but about the unique sensation of immersing myself in an entirely unpredictable setting.
Imagine waking up one morning, grabbing a pile of meticulous research, and heading to a school you’ve never set foot in before surrounded by people your age you’ve never met before nor will ever meet again after the course of the day. That’s Model UN for you. It’s truly amazing how you can take on a new identity or personality over the course of 7 hours; it’s the opportunity to seize meaningful connections and foster lasting memories.
I could never turn down a Model UN conference, even if it meant doing something school related on a Saturday. It was a long trip from my high school in Warwick to get to the Bronx, and after a 2 hour gossip-filled bus ride, my friends and I became mere drops in a tsunami of students from all over the state. We were all separated from one another and put into distinct committees. All the other delegates pile in a room and take their seat behind the placard for their assigned nation. Then the door closes and you know it’s for real.
Kids from the city strike me as very self-driven and expeditious. I come from the suburbs so being in a room of experienced city dwellers was equally intimidating and exhilarating. These kids have a walk and a talk about them that I could never grasp. Despite being in a small classroom for practically the entire day, the beauty and trademark of the city was inescapable. Every few minutes the subway would rumble by, sending vibrations throughout the entire classroom. Glancing out the windows I had a great view of the street landscape which slowly lit up as the sun went down. But these distractions were ephemeral. I had a larger task at hand: committing myself to the conference in a meaningful way.
There’s no question of bias and privilege in Model UN conferences. The larger, more competitive high schools with dozens of delegates were given the most important countries, while delegates from my high school were given third-world nations of limited influence; when we tried to place a motion we would rarely get selected, if at all. Because of this, I decided to have some fun: as the long hours transpired, I took part in sending notes to other students in the classroom who weren’t getting called on, and made friends in the process. During the breaks my new friends and I wandered around the school and the courtyard and I realized I was never before given the opportunity to admire the urban environment in such a way – and that’s when I knew for certain I had to go to college in New York City.
I attached a picture of my collection of NYC books and trinkets as well as some pictures of souvenirs from the Model UN conference and from my final visits to NYC in late fall of last year. Something tells me I won’t be back in the city for many more months or even years to come, but I sincerely hope I will get to replicate the awe and splendor of December 14, 2019 with all of you.
