Changing the World for the Better: SEOMUN 2016

From November 23 through November 26, twenty-six determined delegates, along with advisors Mr. Parker and Ms. Hawkins, traveled to Seoul, South Korea to solve global issues ranging from gender inequality in Sub-Saharan Africa to the refugee crisis in Europe to the ongoing conflict in Libya. It was an excellent conference where students from all over Asia came to attend and solve real-life issues. With over fifty-six nationalities present in SEOMUN XIX, students representing nations from all across the globe sat side-by-side in an attempt to “Embrace Diversity,” which was the slogan of this year’s conference.

Our world has a number of issues and each and every delegate played a role in voicing their respective nation’s thoughts on the issue. After three months of weekly meetings and mental preparation, the delegates from AISG did a fantastic job in playing an active role in the simulation of one of the biggest organizations in the world. 600 people attended SEOMUN XIX and each person has the dream of making the world a better place and improving society. Rosa Heubeling Van Beek, one of the delegates from BIS in Ho Chi Minh City, said that “SEOMUN was her favorite conference” because it was “one of those conferences where everyone just wanted to make a difference.” Officer Karan Vasdev praised “all the delegates who were attending their first MUN.” He continued, “it takes a lot of guts to raise your placard and go up to the podium and be able to say a speech, and then answer questions on the speech.”

Of the twenty-six delegates from the American International School of Guangzhou, we had our first ever Deputy Assistant Chair, Jiwon Lee, a senior attending his very last SEOMUN, four officers and nine new delegates. Sabrina Chen, a junior and one of the 5 officers of SEOMUN XIX, said, “A majority of the team was composed of new delegates, and I was able to help and advise the new delegates of this years SEOMUN.” After the last day of the SEOMUN trip, a new delegate from AISG, Minseok Choi, said, “Through SEOMUN, I have learnt a lot of things that school couldn’t teach and I am very grateful for what I have learnt. SEOMUN was very exciting and admittedly, slightly intimidating.” This year’s conference was a truly memorable one and we hope to see students from AISG attending more and more conferences in order to widen their horizons and make a change in the world.