By Nick Yeh
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In International Relations 101, students learn three different perspectives, worldviews or theories that are differentiated based on who plays the game. In realism, states are the main actors and agents that dominate the discourse. In liberalism, states and organizations share that realm. In constructivism, that level goes even further allowing individuals to have agency as well. Ever since I began studying IR, I’ve been always drawn to the constructivist theory as I recognize how individuals make a difference in the world as well as in my life. In this MUNImpact story, I want to share how certain individuals in my life made a difference, and led me down the career path that I’m on today.
My MUN journey began as an 8th grader, a member of a test-group, to see if middle schoolers had what it took to participate in MUN. I was nudged or pushed, by one individual who saw my potential and guided me into this brand new world. Mrs. Rowe, a 8th grade humanities teacher, and Mrs. Sinclair, a high school history teacher both whom I never had, invited me to join this new program. Little did I know that Mrs. Rowe and Mrs. Sinclair, would become more than just “MUN Directors” and “Club Sponsors” and actually be mentors that I continually look to for support and advice. Their passion for MUN easily transplanted itself into my life and I became a devoted MUN delegate. I became enamored by the crises we explored, the debate style, the rigor and the formalities. As I moved into high school, I entered into the high school MUN arena and found myself being pushed to explore new opportunities within that sphere. I took on leadership roles, organized conferences, introduced our school to an Online Model UN organization, and later helped build connections between my high school and THIMUN. With every step I took in MUN, I was backed by the support and care from these two individuals. To this day, they are people that I look up to when I explore my own teaching and pedagogical style. They weren’t teachers that I actually had in class, but I still learned way more in my interactions with them, than in some of my classes.
It goes without saying that when I talk about my MUN career, I have to talk about Ms. Martin and how she changed my perspective of MUN from just Taiwan and East Asia to the world. After briefly engaging with her on e-mail and skype, I found myself in charge of the regional wing of Online Model United Nations in Taiwan, focused on outreach and program development. Because of my commitment, Ms. Martin invited me to join the first O-MUN travel team. As the years went on, and I became more involved and rose the ranks of O-MUN, I continually relied on Ms. Martin as a mentor and as a colleague. When I became Director, I found myself constantly asking questions about how I could continue her vision. Her commitment to students around the world, and not just within her own classroom, has inspired me to be a teacher like her. Because of the opportunities she provided me, I have been able to travel to The Hague, run an international non-profit and meet and work with amazing students all around the world.
I’ve often said that I’ve known that I wanted to be a teacher since middle school and that sentiment is true. However, I feel like I would be a very different teacher than I am now without those three individuals in my life. I’ve had the opportunity to mentor and work with students throughout my high school and college career and I constantly look to my mentors for inspiration and advice. My story is very much indicative of those who were there to shape me into the person I am today.
The beauty of MUN is that it pushes students, adults, members of a greater community to strive to make an impact in the world they live in, whether as delegates, problem-solvers, activists, educators and more. MUN has made a huge impact on my life, but it is really the individuals behind the conferences, the classes and the debates that have cemented my drive to be like them. It is my goal, to make a similar impact on my students, to allow them to share their story of how MUN has changed their lives. Years ago, I was a naive student who walked into a room with 15 or so other nerds looking to change the world. Today, I’m a Masters candidate at Tufts University for my teaching degree in High School Social Studies, excited to change the world, one student at a time. That’s my MUNImpact.