A Delegate in the Making: Dean’s First Taste of MUN

Dean Cumerlato is 12 years old and attended HLISMUN XII independant of any academic institution. For Dean, it was his first opportunity to see what a Model United Nations conference looked like. Being “too young” for his schools MUN club, we welcomed him to HLISMUN and offered him the opportunity to see what it would be like to take part in debates, represent a country, and lobby with fellow delegations. Our Media Team also reached out to Dean following his time with us, to hear what he had to say after reflecting on the conference and his experience as a first time MUNer.

I really enjoyed my time at HLISMUN especially as someone who is very interested in geopolitics. Before I arrived at HLISMUN I expected it to be not as professional as the UN and not so similar to it, both in topics of debate and the way the general assembly functioned. Once I arrived though, I was impressed by its professionalism and how similar to the UN it was. I felt very excited walking into the conference for the first time because I couldn’t wait to see how the general assembly functioned and what would happen. I also felt slightly nervous about possibly needing to debate in the conference but the organisers of the event were very flexible since it was my first time ever at MUN, so in the end I didn’t need to speak. In addition to this, I felt nervous about how I would be able to put my personal beliefs aside and speak for the country I was representing, Vietnam. This was one of my favourite parts of HLISMUN though since I learnt that sometimes when debating it is important to put your own opinions aside and speak for whatever side you are representing. 

My ultimate favourite part was seeing how delegates from countries such as Russia and Iran made their arguments. I really enjoyed this part because I got to see how such radical arguments can seem extremely compelling when the right evidence is used and when there is a sense of professionalism. I was especially excited when I was able to see each vote individually from every single country that there was since I could tell how delegates voted in relation to their country’s opinion in the real world. To other first-time delegates at MUN my advice is to not worry about making amendments, resolutions, or even going up to speak but instead just observing and listening to everything so you can get a sense of the way things work, what arguments should be like, and how to make resolutions. In conclusion, I really enjoyed my experience at HLISMUN.

As an organization, ensuring our conferences give all young peoeple from a range of different backgrounds an equal opportunity to participate and learn about diplomacy is at our forefront, and stories like Dean’s highlight our ongoing committment to ensuring this promise is upheld for years to come.